The Distance Between Us
by Temari-Desert-Storm
Summary: Sora, asleep for four years. Riku, captured by Organization XIII. Kairi, tired of being left behind. Three friends bonded together and torn apart. When the fate of the worlds depends on them, can they overcome adversity? Or will they be consumed in it?
1. Good Night, Good Morning

_What does not reach the mind can always reach the heart. Words of wisdom pale in contest to the will of kindness and hope…_

"We have to find the door to Kingdom Hearts. But… Why are we doing that, again? I can't seem to remember why… Are we looking for someone?"

_Hope only stands in the face of those willing to fight for it. Hope stands in those who are willing to reach for it. It matters not what cause you support, only that you believe in hope…_

"Sora's memories have been shattered. I can salvage some of the pieces, but others will take some time to repair. There's no telling how long that will take, but I'll do everything I can to get it done soon."

_Belief grants power to those who receive it. Belief is power for those who desire it. And with that power, anything in the world can be achieved…_

"You've been a hindrance to the Organization for long enough. We've been lenient with you, but our kindness has run out. By order of our leader, I'm bringing you in, using whatever means necessary."

_Achievements can be proven though strength, but true strength is not proven through boasting. Achievements are proven through desires, and the determination shown to fulfill them…_

"I have a favor to ask, Your Majesty. Take me with you. I can't sit around waiting for them anymore. I have to go look for them, and you're the only one who can help me."

_Fulfilled desires are nothing more than dreams. Through dreams, the impossible is possible. Through dreams, everyone can be someone. Through dreams, reality can be altered beyond anything even known…_

"What… what happened to me?"

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Good Night, Good Morning**

* * *

Sora's eyes shot open and he gasped, waking in a cold sweat from his nightmare. Shivering, he sat up and wiped the sweat off his forehead. The last three months had been like this, and he couldn't get used to it. His dreams were so real that every scene was painful.

"Sora, hurry up!" Donald called, standing in the grass about fifty feet away, "We're not gonna get anywhere with you lying around like that!"

Goofy leaned closer to Donald, speaking louder than he had intended. "But Donald, you were asleep until ten minutes ago, too…"

Donald squawked and stamped his foot, glaring at Goofy in reply.

Sora chuckled. 'It's always the same with those two…' "I'm coming, I'm coming!" Cringing as he moved his stiff body, he pushed himself up off the ground and jogged over to them. "Let's get going, then."

Together, the three of them continued their march along the seemingly endless path, conversing about whatever they could think of. Sora only contributed half-heartedly, though. There was something else on his mind. They had been walking the same path for a long time, but some things didn't make any sense. For one, when they had started walking, it had been just after they had defeated Ansem and sealed the door to Kingdom Hearts. Sora had only been fourteen at the time, but at one point, he realized that he had gotten older without knowing how or why. When he had realized that, he also realized that he felt different, as if something inside of him had changed as well. His clothes were different from what he had been wearing before as well. Most of all, somewhere in the back of his memory he recalled seeing a white castle, but he didn't know where it was or why it gave him chills when he thought about it.

The only thing that had struck all three of them as odd was the fact that they hadn't encountered any Heartless from the moment they arrived until now. Not a single creature had found them the entire time they had been walking. Sora had even walked for a couple days with his Keyblade in hand, but not one Heartless had shown up.

When he withdrew from his thoughts, Donald was complaining. "We've been walking here for who knows how long and we're nowhere! Is there anything along this path? I'd even welcome some Heartless…"

"Don't worry, Donald," Sora smiled. "We'll find something. I've got a good feeling about it."

Donald didn't look convinced. "You said that three days ago, and a week before that, and four days before that, and…"

"Alright, alright, I get the point!" He groaned, throwing up his hands in defeat.

"You never know, Donald," Goofy shrugged. "Sora might be right this time."

* * *

In a world of nothingness, in the room Where Nothing Gathers, seven members of Organization XIII met. At the head of the room, the leader of the Organization looked down on his subordinates. Two sat on his left, three on his right, and one across from him. He rested his hands lightly on the armrests of his throne. "How has the search been progressing?"

A voice from his left answered. "Well. We've received reports from XII. The target is within our grasp."

"Typical of her," a voice on the right snorted in annoyance. "She's trying to get all the glory by butting him out."

"There no point in worrying about it. We'll use this to keep her in line. If need be, we can send IX or XI to keep her in line," another voice from the right added, waving his hand to emphasize his point.

The leader nodded. "We'll proceed as planned. IV, continue with your experiments. VII, compile reports from II, III, IX, X, and XI and deliver the summary to me when you finish. V, prepare for today's… entertainment. XIII, bring in the prisoner."

Across from him, XIII nodded, a smile visible under his hood. "I'm sure he's looking forward to it…"

* * *

From in the distance, looking on through a pair of binoculars, someone watched Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Behind them, another presence arrived.

"We're on schedule for today. It should work out fine."

"Welp, it better. They're moving."

Dropping the binoculars with a curse, the person stood. "We haven't much time, then. Let's hurry!"

* * *

Something sent a shiver up Sora's spine, and he stopped and looked around, trying to pinpoint the source. Donald and Goofy stopped ahead of him.

"Something wrong, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"I… feel like…" he muttered, "Like we're being watched…"

"Oh, you're being more than watched."

Summoning his Keyblade, Sora turned in the direction of the voice and was met by a person in a hooded black coat. Behind him, Donald and Goofy pulled out their own weapons, a wand and a shield respectively, but something told Sora that it wouldn't be enough.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"No one special," the hooded person replied, pushing back the black fabric that obscured their face. Underneath was a blond woman, her hair slicked back from her icy blue eyes. "I'm Number XII, Larxene. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Keyblade Master… or, it would be. Unfortunately, you won't have the chance to enjoy it."

Sora blanked, lowering his guard. "Huh?"

With a dark smile, short yellow-bladed knives appeared in Larxene's hands and she charged, faster than anything Sora had encountered. He barely had enough time to guard before she bore down on him, relentlessly stringing together a combination of overhand and underhand strikes. She only stopped when a magic fireball, summoned up by Donald, almost nailed her in the back.

Sora took a swipe at her with the Keyblade but she flipped and tossed her knives at him, which he knocked away with a flick of his Keyblade. Almost instantly, she was behind him, slashing at his backside. Goofy stepped in, knocking her attack back with his shield.

Larxene jumped back nimbly. "Not good at all, Keyblade Master! I'm not even breaking a sweat!"

Suddenly, something blurred behind her and she fell forward, rolling in the grass until she could get back into a standing position. Where she had been standing was a girl with long red hair in a braided ponytail, wearing a loose white tank top with a pink vest, black gloves, and tight black shorts, her blue eyes blazing anger. The girl ran at Larxene, aiming a kick at the woman's head, but she ducked under it. Her foot whistled through the air.

Sora watched in awe as the two women fought, the girl dodging Larxene's swipes with her knives while Larxene had to weave and maneuver around the girl's punches and kicks. Each one of them moved quickly, trying to catch the other off guard, but they managed to avoid each other's attacks as if they were mirages. Larxene used the sleeves of her coat to pull feints, trying to outmaneuver the girl, but she didn't fall for any of them. They were fighting to a standstill.

"You're not going to get anywhere fighting me like that, girly," Larxene goaded, jumped back to give herself some space.

A loud rustling alerted her to the second presence a split second before a black blur burst out of the grass behind her. The blur attacked her with a Keyblade, golden with a silver handle, moving almost too fast to see. It flipped and spun in the air as it attack, and Larxene fended all of the attacks off with her knives. The girl renewed her assault, making Larxene have to contend with attacks from both sides.

"Sora," Goofy muttered, watching the fight with a nervous expression, "Ya think we should help them?"

Donald crossed his arms, looking sour. "They look like they're doing fine to me."

Larxene, on the other hand, was furious. "Enough playing nice" she screeched, knocking the blur away from her long enough for her knives to become coated in electricity, crackling loudly. She quickly took a swipe at the girl, who leaned out of the way quickly enough to avoid being slashed across the neck.

The blur was unaffected, attacking faster and with more ferocity than before. Larxene threw her electrified knives at it, but the Keyblade knocked them away as if they were flies. It sprung around her, slashing at her around her attacks. Meanwhile, the girl kept Larxene moving, taking swings at the woman's chest and trying to kick her feet out from under her. Larxene was clearly frustrated, her expression growing more enraged by the second.

The girl performed a high kick close to Larxene's head, but she jumped back to dodge it, landing right in the path of the blur's Keyblade. The metal shredded the back of her coat and she let out a scream of agony and rage. She turned to strike the blur, knives crackling, but turned in time to meet the girl's fist. The girl's hand hit Larxene's knives and came away electrified. The blur, appearing almost out of nowhere, attacked Larxene from the side, taking her attention away from the stunned girl, slicing into her coat again. Furious, Larxene took another swipe, but missed and suddenly stopped moving.

It took Sora a moment to comprehend what happened. The girl, standing behind Larxene, has shoved her fist through Larxene's back wound. Her gloved fist had punched clean through to the other side, still cracking with from Larxene's previous attack.

Then something unexpected happened. Larxene began giving off long strands of Darkness, the tendrils radiating from her form, but something changed. She shrunk a few inches and her short blond hair morphed into longer, wavy strands. Once the change finished, she gritted her teeth, let out a bloodcurdling scream, and disappeared into strands of blackness.

"Wh-what just happened?" Sora blurted out.

The girl walked over to him, shaking the last of the static from her hands. "Believe me, Sora, it's a long story."

Sora blinked. 'Wait, who is this?'

The blur walked over to them, still holding its Keyblade, walked through the grass towards them. Now that it had stopped moving, Sora could see that it was a small person wearing a coat like Larxene's except the hood had two large flaps at the top. It reached up and pushed the hood back.

"Your Majesty!" Donald and Goofy shouted before they raced over to hug their king.

King Mickey yelped as they almost tackled him to the ground, but he smiled and joined in the laughter. "Gosh, guys, it's good to see you again. And you too, Sora."

"Same to you, Your Majesty," Sora said with a smile, and then turned to the girl. "And… who are you?"

The girl and Mickey looked at each other before the girl turned to him. "Don't you recognize me, Sora?"

He looked at her again. Something was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Then it hit him. The red hair, the blue eyes… "Kairi?"

Kairi nodded and smiled. "It's been a long time. It's good to see you again."

Sora stared, awestruck. "But, wow… Kairi, you're changed… a lot!"

"It's been four years, Sora. We haven't seen each other in four years."

"We…"

Sora looked at Donald and Goofy, and they stared at each other before they all shouted, "WHAT!"

"Four years?" Donald squeaked, looking at the King for clarification.

Mickey nodded. "Yup, it's been four years."

Sora turned back to Kairi. "Four years? Then… we're eighteen?"

"Yup, that's right. You haven't changed much."

"Guess I haven't," he chuckled sheepishly. Something else clicked in Sora's head. "Oh right! Your Majesty, what happened? When we last saw you, you were behind the door with Riku. Where is he?"

Mickey looked skeptically at Kairi, who shook her head. "I'm not sure we should just yet."

"Kairi, Sora has a right to know. I think we should tell him."

Sora was confused. "Tell me what? What happened?"

Kairi sighed, looking sad. "Sora, you have to understand something first. That woman-"

"Larxene?"

"Yes, her. She's a member of Organization XIII. I'll explain it in more detail later, but-"

"What does that have to do with Riku?" Sora asked, not seeing where the conversation was headed.

"Sora, it has everything to do with that," she explained, "Riku has been captured by Organization XIII."

Sora could only stare blankly at her. "What?"


	2. Devil of Details

**Chapter 2 - Devil of Details**

* * *

That night, Sora sat at the campfire with Kairi, staring into the flames as if he could divine some answers from its depths. Kairi poked at the edges with a stick, sending sparks into the air. Donald, Goofy, and Mickey were fast asleep off to one side, the only noise from their area being that of Goofy's sleep talking.

"I'm sorry there wasn't any other way to tell you," Kairi said suddenly, making Sora jump. "I wanted to take things slowly, but the Organization attacked before I could make my move."

Sora grunted his assent. "Kairi, can you tell me what happened?"

"Of course. The last time I saw Riku… I mean, the _only_ time I've seen Riku since you sealed Kingdom Hearts… was about a year ago. It was just before the Organization captured him. I think… I was one of the last people to see him before then…"

* * *

_Kairi hit the beach after her morning training, taking a break before her afternoon training was scheduled to start. It wasn't the beach she'd played on as a kid; she never went back to that island anymore. The beach she walked along was the beach on the main island, the sand a little more coarse there than anywhere else on the islands._

_Looking around, she saw a black coated figure standing in the sand ahead of her, just close enough to the water that the tide was lapping lazily against their black boots. Instantly suspicious, she walked over as quietly as the sand would allow, fists at the ready._

"_Who are you?" she asked, trying to hide all of her nervousness._

_The black coated person turned. "It's been a long time, Kairi." Reaching up slowly, they pushed the hood of the coat back._

_Kairi couldn't see his eyes because of the blindfold, but she'd recognize the mess of straight silvery hair anywhere. "Riku!"_

_Riku's smile was so faint that she almost missed it. "Yes. I don't have time to waste, so I'll get straight to the point."_

* * *

"What did he want?" Sora asked.

"He wanted to talk to me."

* * *

"_To talk? That's all? Haven't you been home yet?"_

_He didn't respond to her questions. "Kairi, there are some things I have to explain to you about what's happened over the last three years. These things are related to Sora, so listen carefully."_

"_Sora?" she gasped, feeling the air leave her lungs, "What happened to Sora? Where is he?"_

"_Let me start from the beginning. After Sora sealed the door to Kingdom Hearts, he entered the Realm of In Between, a place between light and darkness."_

* * *

"Is that where we are now?"

She nodded. "The Realm of In Between is one of four Realms: the Realm of Light, where we're from; the Realm of Darkness; the Realm of In Between; and the Realm of Nothingness."

* * *

"_Traveling in the Realm of In Between, Sora was drawn to one of the worlds that exist in it; a place called Castle Oblivion," Riku continued, "When Sora arrived in the castle, I was drawn there to him."_

_Kairi folded her arms. "Why was Sora drawn there?"_

"_He was drawn there by you, Kairi."_

* * *

"Wait a second…" Sora interrupted, "I kind of remember a castle. A big white one."

"That's Castle Oblivion."

"You've been there?"

Kairi smiled. "Yes. Only once, after you left."

"Why?"

* * *

"_He was drawn there by me?" Kairi asked, "But I've never been there!"_

"_He was drawn there because of your presence, not actually by you. Just someone with your presence; your Nobody."_

* * *

"Nobody?"

"Nobodies are what's left behind when a person becomes a Heartless. The heart leave the body, and the body and soul are left behind. When a person has a really strong heart, the body and soul form a Nobody, a being without a heart."

Sora blinked, thinking. "So, how do you have a Nobody?"

"When you released my heart from your body, it created a Nobody of me."

"Does that mean I have a Nobody too?"

She smiled. "Probably."

* * *

"_So, my Nobody was in Castle Oblivion, and Sora was drawn there by her?"_

"_Yes. Naminé's presence brought Sora to Castle Oblivion."_

"_Naminé?"_

_Riku nodded. "That's her name. As I said, Sora was drawn to Castle Oblivion, but while he was there, the castle had a strange effect on him. I began dismantling his memories, pulling them apart. As it did this, Sora began forgetting things."_

_Kairi was awestruck. "The _castle itself_ did that? How?"_

"_I'm not exactly sure how, but something in the castle feeds on the energy produced by breaking apart memories."_

"_Did it effect you like that?"_

"_No," he said, placing a hand on his chest. "The darkness in my heart protected me from it… When Sora reached Naminé, he remembered almost nothing. Thankfully, Naminé has the power to reassemble his memories, as she's your Nobody, and for the past three years she's been reassembling it."_

* * *

"Three years!" Sora gasped, covering his mouth when he realized that he had spoken louder than he had meant to. "That's a long time."

"Well, there's a reason for that…"

* * *

"_Naminé has had some problems locating all of Sora's memories, and the process of linking them all back together takes longer than you'd think. She'd link some of the pieces together only to find that she was missing some, and then she'd have to go look for those pieces…"_

"_Alright, alright, I get the point. Three years is a long time, though…" Kairi mused. "But, does that mean Naminé is finished?"_

"_Just about. Sora will wake up in a few days without any memory of what happened in Castle Oblivion. In the mean time, however, he's not exactly safe, and he needs to be protected until he can fully recover."_

"_Protected? From what?"_

* * *

"Organization XIII, right? They're the ones after me?"

Kairi nodded, poking at the fire again. "Organization XIII is very strong right now. They're much too large a group to handle with the forces that we have."

"Which is… how big?"

"What you see here," she gestured around them, "and Riku."

Sora chuckled sheepishly. "I'm sorry I asked. Anyway, Kairi, what do you know about Organization XIII?"

* * *

"_Organization XIII is group of Nobodies. They're very careful about how they move, so I haven't found out much about them, but I do know that each of the members fall into strict criteria set out by their leader. All of them have special abilities, command large groups of lesser Nobodies, and carry unique weapons suited to them."_

_Kairi clenched her fists. "And they're after Sora? Why?"_

"_One of the members of the Organization wields a Keyblade. Organization XIII needs a Keyblade for their goals, though I don't know what that goal is. I've been protecting Sora from them by leading them away from Castle Oblivion, but I can only protect him so much when he's back out in the open. His Majesty is doing his best to help, but…"_

"_There's a limit to what you can do," she finished, "One thing I don't get. If the Organization needs a Keyblade, wouldn't they be wise to try and add Keyblades to their arsenal?"_

_Riku gave her another faint smile. "A smart move, but not possible, and for a couple reasons. First, their Keyblade wielder is apparently very uncooperative. Second, they know that Sora would never willingly help him. They might have been able to get him if they had interrupted the memory restoration process, but now that it's too late, they have only one option."_

* * *

"They want to kill me!" Sora shouted, covering his mouth again. Goofy chuckled in his sleep, but nothing else happened.

"They want to remove the possibility that you might interfere with their plans. More than one Keyblade in the mix will cause complications."

"With two, there'd definitely be problems," he mused, crossing his arms. "And there are already three if you include His Majesty."

Kairi nodded. "And more than that would be even worse…"

"There's someone else with a Keyblade?" Sora asked, looking at her.

"There is. I have one."

* * *

"_I have a Keyblade? But… where did it come from?" Kairi asked, more skeptical than before. "And how come I didn't know about it?"_

"_I'm not exactly sure of the details, but you have a Keyblade. You probably don't recall receiving it, and you haven't had an opportunity or a need to call on it, especially with Sora and his Keyblade around."_

"_So, if I have a Keyblade, I can call it whenever I like?" Holding her hands out in front of her, Kairi concentrated, trying to imagine what a Keyblade was like and how she was going to summon hers. She concentrated so hard that her head started to hurt._

_To her surprise, Riku laughed. "It's not as easy as it seems, Kairi. Give it time. You'll understand eventually."_

* * *

Sora chuckled. "Can you summon it now? Can I see it?"

"Sure." Holding out her hand, a bright flash of light appeared and vanished and Kairi had her Keyblade. The shaft was sunset pattered and the teeth were various kinds of flowers. The hilt was split into two designs, a crashing wave on one side and a strip of sandy beach on the other. The keychain was a Paopu, the yellow fruit held there by a long piece of red silk.

"Wow. That's amazing, Kairi! When did you learn to summon it?"

"It's a bit of a story in itself, so I'll save that for another time."

* * *

"_Well, that's mostly everything I came here to tell you."_

_Kairi blinked. "Then, you're leaving already?"_

"_Yes. I have to prepare for when Sora wakes up."_

"_You… can't stay a little longer?" she asked, trying not to sound like she was begging and failing miserably._

_He walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kairi. I know we've been away for a long time, but I'll make sure Sora comes back."_

"_Make sure both of you come back, Riku. I want to see both of my best friends together again."_

_He didn't say anything for a while. She was starting to worry that she'd said something wrong when he nodded. "I promise. This will be over soon, and when it is, we'll come back."_

"_Riku…" she started, but he was already turning away. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, holding him back. "Are you… sure I can't come with you?"_

"_My transport is only for one. Sorry."_

"_It's alright. I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have asked."_

_Riku turned back, and she could almost see his eyes beneath the blindfold. "You're not doing anything wrong. We're the ones who are being unreasonable, leaving you like this. I'll bring us together again, I swear."_

* * *

"That was it. After that, he left," Kairi muttered, tossing her stick into the fire. "Sometime after that, His Majesty came to tell me that Riku had been captured, and I begged him to let me help. I couldn't sit around while both of you were in danger. I just couldn't…"

Sora gave her a smile. "Don't worry, Kairi. We'll rescue Riku, together."

"I know. I know that, Sora, but I can't help but feel that everything is much worse than we think it is. The Organization is powerful, powerful enough to capture Riku, powerful enough to want to hunt you down… What if we can't win?"

"We'll win. I'm sure of it. If Organization XIII is hunting me down, then I'm strong enough to be a threat to them, right? With all of use fighting against them, we can beat them. I know we can."

Kairi stared at him for a minute before she smiled and broke out into laughter. "You haven't changed a bit, Sora. Actually, that makes me happy. I was worried that I would see you again and you would have changed completely."

"What do you mean?" he asked, giving her a questioning look.

"Nothing, nothing," she muttered quickly, putting out the fire. "Good night, Sora." She shifted over in the grass and lay down in her side, back to him.

Sora stared at her for a moment before he shrugged and lay down. 'A lot has happened, and I've missed it. I have to catch up on everything, especially with Kairi, and I have to save Riku.' He smiled, closing his eyes. 'Looks like I've got a lot to do before I can go home again…'


	3. MasterfulMagical

**Chapter 3 - Masterful/Magical**

* * *

When Sora woke up the next morning, he could barely remember where he was or why he was there. He felt completely disoriented and, for the first few minutes after he sat up, his head was spinning. Shaking it off, he stood up and looked around. It was the same grassy fields as before, stretching as far as the eye could see. There was only one difference: he was alone.

"Hello?" he asked, looking around frantically.

"Something wrong, Sora?" Kairi's voice came from behind him and he jumped. She looked at him questioningly.

He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I was just… where is everyone else?"

"They left a few hours ago," she said, picking her bag up off the ground, where it had been sitting, hidden by the grass.

"They… left?"

"Yup. His Majesty took Donald and Goofy to do something, though he said he couldn't tell me what it was. He would have waited until you got up, but he said they needed to start sooner as opposed to later."

It took a while for the meaning to sink in. "Donald and Goofy… left without me?"

"You were sleeping like a rock and we couldn't wake you. Sorry we didn't tell you before."

"It's… It's alright, I guess. It's just… I'll miss them." He tried to smile. "We've been together for so long; I've become attached to them. They're my friends, too."

Kairi gave him an understanding smile. "I know, but don't worry. Friends will always come together again. That's what I believe."

It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about. "We'll all be back home before you know it, Kairi. I promise."

"I know. I know that. But first," she pointed at him, "We have something we need to do."

"Huh?"

"You need clothes. Those ones won't hold up."

Looking down at himself, he realized that she was right. Unlike what he'd been wearing before, which was meant to withstand the rough conditions of life and play on the islands, he was wearing a white t-shirt and white pants, both made of a light, soft material. They were comfortable, but not cut out for fighting Heartless, let alone anyone as tough as the Organization.

"Thankfully, I have a solution to this," she said, fishing around in her bag until she found what she was looking for. It greatly resembled a Paopu, but there were obvious differences. It was star-shaped, but small and gelatinous looking, the interior blue with swirls of magic pulsating under its surface. "It's a Star Shard," she explained. "His Majesty said he used it to travel during his training, but that he never understood the mechanics when he was using it. He stopped using it a while ago. Apparently there was something wrong with the transport mechanism, but it works properly when I use it…"

Sora groaned. "Enough! It's starting to hurt my head!"

"It's much easier in practice than in principal. Here, I'll show you. Take my hand," she instructed, holding her hand out.

Sora's chest felt tight and he thought he was blushing, but he took her hand and held it tight. Kairi closed her eyes, concentrating, and the shard responded, giving off a blinding white glow. The glow expanded and grew brighter until he was forced to close his eyes. Finally, the light faded and he felt Kairi's hand slide out of his.

"You can look now," she said, "We're here."

Hesitantly, Sora opened his eyes and almost gasped. The grassy field was gone, and they were standing in a clearing of ground dotted with shrubs. Beyond the shrubs on all sides, the ground dropped off into nothingness, orange clouds below them and a beautiful night sky above. Greenish mountaintops poked through the clouds in various places, but all of them looked too small to be real. Ahead of him, off to one side, was a disproportionate tower, stretching up into the sky with its star-and-moon printed roof.

Kairi started walking to the tower, turning to smile at him. "Welcome to the Mysterious Tower. Come on, I'll show you inside."

Reluctant at first, Sora followed her. "We got here with the Star Shard?"  
"Uh-huh."

"But _why_ are we here?"

"A number of reasons. We may find out some more about the Organization, and we need to get you new clothes."

"And we can do all that here?"

Kairi chuckled. "You'd be surprised."

Inside the tower was a single staircase leading up, and Kairi started climbing without hesitation. The staircase led from the entrance into a surreal area where the walls seemed transparent, shifting and shimmering in colors similar to the tower's surroundings. Supported by nothing, the stairs continued up to a door with nothing near it, seemingly leading into nowhere. Pushing the door open, however, led them into a circular room with star-shaped lamps built into the walls.

"How does that work?" Sora asked, looking around, astounded.

Kairi shrugged. "It's called the Mysterious Tower for a reason. Also, it might be the will of the guy who lives here. He's a very strong wizard, and something like this suits him."

"A wizard?"

"You'll see when we meet him."

The door on the other side of the room led back into the stairwell, but up much higher. Looking down, Sora could see the staircase they had just left, suspended below them. The second staircase ended in another door and a similar room, this one with moon-shaped lamps, and out into another staircase. When they reached the door at the top, Kairi stopped.

"Alright, Sora, be on your best behavior. He's a very powerful wizard, and if we don't get on his nerves, he'll be able to tell us something. Hopefully, it'll help us."

Sora gulped. "I'll try."

Kairi pushed the door open slowly, leading him into the room before she quietly closed it behind them. The room looked like an office, a large desk and comfortable looking chair between them and a set of large windows, giving a view of the outside, where the orange band of the setting sun could easily be seen. There were bookshelves all along the walls, each holding books of varying color and size. Another door was visible next to the windows, with a clean chalkboard sitting against the wall beside it.

Standing at one of the windows was a tall man, his back to them. He was wearing a long blue robe, and his hat, a pointed hat that reminded Sora of the tower's roof, made him look even taller. He turned to them and Sora almost jumped out of his skin. The man had a long beard, a very dark shade of grey, but his eyes, sharp and serious, sent shivers down his spine.

Kairi used her vest to curtsy. "Master Yen Sid."

Sora, at a loss for words, blinked and smiled sheepishly. "Hi."

"Sora!" Kairi hissed under her breath, "You said you'd try to behave!"

"I did," he whispered back, nervous, "but it didn't work out too well…"

Yen Sid only smiled. "It is nice of you to return so quickly, Kairi. And Sora, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

He blinked again. "It is?"

"Master Yen Sid, there's something-" Kairi began, but he held up a hand to politely silence her.

"I understand that you have a number of questions to ask, but I know that it's not the only reason why you've come. The three good fairies will provide you with what you need. Then, you can ask all the questions you like."

"Thank you." Taking Sora's hand, Kairi led him to the other door. The room it led to was much smaller, and filled with various pieces of furniture. A large table sat in the middle of the room and a couple nightstands, but most striking of all was the assortment of mirrors leaning up against the walls, covered with large white cloths.

When they entered, the three occupants of the room, elderly ladies with pointed hats and puffy dresses, rushed over to meet them. The one dressed in red, looking very proper, shook Kairi's hand warmly. "It's nice to see you again, dear."

Seeing his blank face, Kairi introduced them. "Sora, this is Flora," she indicated the one in red, who shook his hand as well, "Fauna," the one in green smiled at him, looking slightly on the scatterbrained side, "And Merryweather," the one in blue, plumper in appearance than the others, nodded. Kairi turned back to the fairies. "We're here to get Sora some new clothes. Do you mind helping us out?"

Flora nodded, looking enthusiastic. "Not at all, dear. We'd be happy to help."

"And please, try to cooperate."

The three fairies shared a quiet laugh before they shifted to the other side of the room, huddling together and speaking in hushed voices.

Sora leaned closer to Kairi and whispered. "Why is it important for them to cooperate?"

Kairi whispered behind her hand. "I got my clothes from them, too, and they took nearly an hour deciding on the color alone."

Hearing this, Sora blanched. The fairies paused their discussion to look up him before they deliberated for another moment. Finally, they returned, looking pleased. Flora gave the other two a quick nod. "Alright Sora, just hold still a minute. Together now!"

Wands appearing in their hands, the three fairies sent sparks of magic at Sora. He jumped, startled, but his clothes transformed in a flash of light. When the light faded, he looked down. He was wearing a t-shirt, jacket and pants, with a pair of sneakers and gloves, varying in color from black to red and navy blue with white seams, yellow straps added on in various places. It was lightweight and comfortable, yet sturdy and durable.

Merryweather was impatient. "Well, what do you think?"

"It's great!" Sora exclaimed, feeling stronger than before. "Thanks!"

"Now Sora, remember," Flora explained. "Those aren't just normal clothes. They're magic."

"How?"

Fauna chuckled. "You'll see. Now, you two shouldn't keep Master Yen Sid waiting."

Thanking them again, Sora and Kairi headed back into the main room, where Yen Sid was seated at his desk. He gestured with his hands and two chairs appeared out of the floor, which they took without hesitation.

"I will answer your questions to the best of my knowledge," the old wizard said, "Now, what is it you'd like to know?"

Sora's hands balled into fists. "Is there… Is there a chance that you know where Organization XIII is keeping Riku?"

Yen Sid folded his hands on the desk. "They are most likely keeping him in their stronghold, where all the members of the Organization are gathered."

"Do you know where that is?" Kairi asked.

"Unfortunately, I do not. The Organization has kept their movements to a minimum, therefore making them very hard to track. However, I do know that it is a place beyond what you might imagine. It is a world that is very different from any of the ones you have seen before, or will see in the future. Make sure that you are prepared for it."

"Something… something is bugging me," Sora muttered, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Is the Organization that strong that they can capture Riku? Even I had problems fighting him, and he's pretty fast on top of that…"

"The members of Organization XIII are hand-picked by the leader, who only invites those who have exceptional powers. The best of the best, you might say. Each of the Nobodies of the Organization has a special power and an individual weapon that they wield. These powers make them excellent warriors."

"Another thing," Sora piped up, a quick nod at the wizard's descriptions, "When Kairi defeated Larxene, just before she vanished, her appearance changed. It's not really important, but I thought it was weird."

"As you know, Nobodies are the body and soul of a person who had lost their heart. Nobodies do not share the exact physical appearance with their complete self. When a Nobody is destroyed, their appearance returns to that of their original self. Though I do not know everything about Nobodies, they also seem to age. When a Nobody is destroyed, they also return to their original age."

"That's… strange."

Kairi shook her head, chuckling. "At this rate, you're going to go through every synonym for 'weird' in the dictionary."

"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly. "Anyway, I guess that's all my questions for now."

"I have one," Kairi spoke up, "Master Yen Sid, do you know of anywhere we can look for information on the Organization? We may be able to find their stronghold if we ask around in the right places."

Sora was dumbfounded. 'Why didn't I think of that?'

Yen Sid meditated on this for a moment. "I know of nowhere specific, but there are many places you could look. There are many people across the worlds that specialize in gathering such cryptic and rare information. Finding them may prove difficult, but I believe a search will be worth your time."

"Thank you, Master Yen Sid," Kairi smiled, and then stood up. "I believe that's all the information we'll need. Ready to go, Sora?"

Sora stood. "Yeah, I'm ready. Thanks for all the help."

With a bow and curtsy to the wizard, they left through the door and back down the stairs. When they were back outside, Sora, with his hands behind his head, turned to Kairi.

"Where to now?"

She shrugged. "Well, maybe we could meet up with Leon and the others? They might know something or know someone with information."

"And it would be great to see them again," Sora added, "They're probably wondering what happened to us."

Kairi pulled the Star Shard out of her bag. "Then, let's go. This time will be a little different, though. You'll be in charge of our destination."

"How does that work?"

"We'll both be holding the Star Shard. I'll make sure we stay on track, and you think of our destination. Better yet, think of them. They may have moved from Traverse Town."

"Alright, I'll try." Holding the Star Shard with one hand and Kairi's free hand with the other, Sora closed his eyes and concentrated. 'My friends…Leon…Yuffie… Cid… Aerith… Merlin… Cloud… Hey, I wonder how Cloud is doing…' Suddenly, the light from the Star Shard flared and they vanished from the Mysterious Tower.

* * *

XIII walked down one of immaculate white halls, the sounds of his black sneakers against the floor echoing off the walls. He kept an even pace, focused on his destination. Suddenly, he came to an abrupt halt as a corridor of darkness opened behind him.

"Axel."

VIII pushed his hood back as he stepped out of the corridor, his mane of spiky red hair flopping back into shape. He stayed behind XIII, out of striking distance. "You know the only thing down there is…"

"The prison. Yes, I know. I'm going to have a chat with our guest."

"And you-"

"Orders from our leader."

Axel scowled at this, but he crossed his arms. "_If_ you can get him to talk."

"Here's hoping I can. If I don't, he has plans to use XIV."

"Nothing good will come of that," Axel cringed.

XIII shrugged. "Orders are orders. If that's what he plans, then we have no choice."

"But, Roxas-" Axel began, but was cut off by the brilliantly white Keyblade pressed against his neck. He didn't flinch.

Roxas glared at Axel from under his hood. "_Never_ call me by that name _again_. _Ever_." Dismissing his Keyblade, Roxas stalked down the hall as fast as he could without running, putting as much distance as he could between himself and Axel as quickly as possible.

Behind him, Axel closed his eyes and sighed. "You've changed too much. I'm starting to think that I'm losing you, too…"


	4. Testing, Testing

**Chapter 4 - Testing, Testing**

* * *

Roxas entered the prison and walked to the only occupied cell, staring at its occupant from under his hood. "It seems you didn't enjoy yesterday's… entertainment. It's a shame. Lexaeus got bored. It's not every day he gets to use his Skysplitter on someone. You could at least put up a fight."

Sitting in the cell, Riku didn't move. He was seated on the floor, leaning up against the wall. His head hung forward, his eyes staring blankly into nowhere at nothing.

"I have something you'll like, though. Larxene found Sora, but she hasn't reported in. We're assuming that she's been destroyed. We've lost track of Sora now."

Again, Riku didn't respond.

Giving into his rage, Roxas used a corridor of darkness to take him into the cell, where he grabbed the collar of Riku's coat and yanked him up. "You're pathetic! Is this what you've been reduced to?" He ground his teeth. "The man I fought a year ago would never have let something like this happen."

Riku continued to stare blankly at nothing. Frustrated and disgusted, Roxas dropped his back to the floor and opened a corridor of darkness, leaving the prison altogether.

* * *

When Sora opened his eyes, he knew he'd messed up. All around him was a bright shade of brown and tan, walls of stone and sandy floors. Across from them was a large door, two giant statues of armored gladiators standing guard over it.

Kairi stuck the Star Shard back in her bag. "You got distracted, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I did," he chuckled, "but I know where we are! We're in-"

"Olympus Coliseum," a voice finished for him, and Sora spun around.

"Cloud!"

Leaning up against the wall behind them, arms crosses, was Cloud, though he looked different from the last time Sora had met him. He was wearing a zippered shirt with only one sleeve, black gloves, similar navy pants and boots, and a large cape-like scrap of fabric strapped to one side of his belt. His large sword stood up against the wall beside him, this one engraved with lines where it separated, but still wrapped in bandages. His spiky blond hair was shorter, and something about him was different, though Sora couldn't quite place it.

"Good to see you again, Sora," Cloud said, "Been a while."

Sora smiled sheepishly. "Couldn't help it. So, how have you been? Have you found who you were looking for?"

"Yeah, I found him. I found him, fought the darkness, and I won. Kind of a bittersweet victory, but it's over." Cloud grabbed his sword off the wall and strapped it to his back as he walked to them. "This your girlfriend?"

Sora glanced franticly from Kairi to Cloud, blushing profusely. "Th-this is Kairi!"

Kairi shook Cloud's hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleasure." Cloud turned back to Sora. "Here for the tournament?"

"There's a tournament?"

"Just announced a few days ago. It starts in a few hours, but there's still time to register."

Sora almost jumped for joy. "I'm there!" Without waiting, he dashed off towards the coliseum.

Inside the Lobby hadn't changed a bit, the walls still lined with trophies and plaques from various tournaments. They had changed, though, as Sora didn't recognize any of them. Standing at the entrance to the stadium, his back to them, was Phil, mumbling something to himself.

"Phil, there are more to register," Cloud said, walking over to the training master.

Phil waved him off. "We've got plenty of contestants already, Spiky. There's no more room."

Cloud didn't look pleased, but Sora managed not to laugh. "Not even for me, Phil?" he asked, trying to sound offended.

Spinning around, Phil jumped. "Well, if it isn't Sora! How have ya been? How are Donald and Goofy doing?"

"Everything's been fine, Phil. How's Hercules?"

"Champ's been great. Got himself a girl and everything."

Sora was astounded. "He does!"

"Yeah, real handful of one, but they really suit each other. Anyway, you want in on the tournament?"

"I thought you said there wasn't room."

Phil scowled. "No way am I holding off on your tournament comeback! I'll work you in."

Kairi stepped forward. "Is there room for one more? I'd like to enter."

"You a friend of Sora's?" Phil asked. When she nodded, he smiled. "You're in. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go rework the matchups."

When Phil had left, Sora turned to Kairi. "Are you sure about this?"

"Of course I am," she said, but a frown appeared on her face. "Why? Do you think I can't handle it?"

He shook his head. "After what I saw against Larxene, there's no way I could think that."

* * *

A couple hours later, the first round matchups were announced, and all the participants prepared for their matches. Much to Sora's horror and surprise, Kairi's match was first, and his was last.

"Don't worry about it. Don't get impatient and everything will be fine," Kairi instructed, giving him a warm smile and a thumbs up before she went into the arena for her match. Sora took a place in the stands with Cloud, who was seated calmly at one side, his sword leaning up against the bench beside him.

Kairi's opponent was blond man with a deep tan wearing metal pants and a white dress shirt. He pulled out a sword and faced off against her. Kairi only held out her fists.

"Now I'm worried," Sora muttered, on the edge of his seat.

Cloud snorted laughter. "Just wait and see."

The man took a running charge at her, his sword at the ready, but Kairi ducked under his swipe and twisted, bringing her fist up in a powerful uppercut. He stumbled backwards, wobbling on his feet. Kairi sprang back to her feet and nailed him with a roundhouse kick to the head. Too stunned to react, it hit him full force and sent him flying into the arena's barrier, where he collapsed, groaning in pain. Two medics came out and carried him away on a stretcher, quickly accompanied by a woman in pigtails from the audience, presumably his girlfriend.

"That…was over fast…" Sora stared, his jaw slack.

"Two hits. Impressive," Cloud muttered.

Her bout finished, Kairi came to join them in the stands. "What did you think?"

"Sora's at a loss for words," Cloud answered quickly.

"Hey, I- well… I'm still pretty surprised. You're a really great fighter, Kairi."

"Of course!" she smiled, "With both you and Riku gone, I had nothing else to do. I wasn't going to sit around waiting for you forever, so I figured that the least I could do was learn to fight. I'm not going to sit around like a damsel in distress and wait to be rescued again."

Sora couldn't help but smile. "Well, that's not going to happen again. You can take care of yourself. But, wow. I'm impressed."

"Women who can fight and stand up for themselves are attractive," Cloud said, sitting down. He had gotten up and come back without them noticing.

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you're talking from experience."

Cloud blushed. "It's-it's not…Okay, it is like that."

"Who is she?" Sora asked.

"Your opponent. It's time for your match."

* * *

In the arena, Sora was nervous and the match hadn't even started. He felt stiff, out of practice, and it was something he knew was going to slow him down. Across from him, his opponent, Tifa, was calmly pulling on her gloves. From what he could see, she shared a lot in common with Kairi, from her posture to her style of clothing; loose and relaxed, yet firm and prepared.

The moment the match began, Sora summoned his Keyblade and took a defensive position. Tifa was after him almost instantly, charging across the arena and aiming a fist at his face. Sora ducked under it, and she retaliated with an upward swing of her leg, her knee almost in contact with his nose. He jumped back, trying to put some distance between them to prepare a counter, but Tifa continued her assault, firing off a long combination of kicks and punches. He dodged each one, though some were close, until his back hit something hard. There was barely time for him to comprehend that it was the arena barrier before Tifa's fist came flying at his head.

In a split second maneuver, Sora dodged to the side, rolling out of the way of any attacks Tifa might have countered with, though she didn't. There was an audible crack as her first hit the barrier dead on, and Sora looked back to see her rubbing her hand. The magical barrier now sported a massive crack, spreading outward from its source in all directions.

Sora gulped. 'I'm dead. I'm as good as dead.'

Shaking the soreness out of her hand, Tifa turned to face him and began her attack again. Sora ducked and weaved around them, but it was beginning to tire him out. 'I have to think of something. There has to be a way I can get an attack in. Come on, how did Larxene fight against Kairi?' Sora could feel the next barrier wall closing in on him, so he raised his Keyblade to block. The impact from Tifa's fist sent him stumbling back until he hit the wall. 'What am I thinking? Larxene lost!'

Suddenly, an idea came to him. He dodged under Tifa's fist, moving quickly to her side, and hit the back of her leg with his Keyblade. Having no protection there, Tifa let out a yelp of pain, but didn't give up. Before Sora could distance himself, she swung her injured leg up, hitting Sora's chest with her foot. He went tumbling half way across the arena.

Jumping to his feet, Sora waited for Tifa's next attack. 'I did learn one thing by watching Kairi fight. If I'm going to stand a chance, I can't keep thinking I'm going to be able to land solid hits on her. I have to attack when I can and then put as much distance as I can between us.'

Tifa recovered quickly, steadying herself on her feet, but Sora could see that she was trying to keep most of her weight off her injury. She ran at him with a bit of a hobble, and Sora ducked under her punch. This time he aimed for her arm, but Tifa drew back her fist and it hit the Keyblade instead. Sora almost lost his grip, but managed to withdraw and recover.

The pattern continued, with Sora taking solitary strikes as he dodged her attacks. Tifa managed to land one hit, grazing his shoulder, but it did nothing more than make him loose his balance. He recovered with a roll to dodge her accompanying downward strike and jumped over her, landing a hit on her back. Tifa yelled out in pain, but only seemed to get angry. She spun on her heels and lunged at him. Startled by the change in approach, Sora barely managed to dive out of the way.

Tifa hit the ground, palms first, and swung her legs back. They hit the arena barrier and, crouching against the wall and lifting her hands off the ground, she sprang at him again. She collided with Sora and sent him sprawling on his back, his head hitting the ground. Then, she pulled back her fist to punch him. With his arms pinned across his chest, he did the only thing he could. He forced his arms, with his Keyblade, up, knocking Tifa away. He scrambled quickly to his feet, but stopped.

Lying on the ground, Tifa was clutching her chest and gritting her teeth in pain. She looked like she was trying to sit up, but she let out a gasp of pain and flopped onto her back again. From somewhere, Phil was announcing Sora's victory, but he was confused.

He ran over to Tifa and crouched by her side. "Are you alright?"

In response, she backhanded him across the chest, knocking him onto his backside. He sat there, stunned, as Kairi and Cloud raced over. Kairi muttered a healing spell.

Cloud looked distressed. "Tifa, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she said, sitting up with a grimace. "Thanks," she said to Kairi, who gave her a smile.

Instantly, Kairi turned around and unleashed her anger on Sora. "What were you thinking, doing something like that! You could have seriously hurt her!"

"I wasn't trying to!" Sora protested, getting to his feet, "I was just trying to defend myself. Besides, I didn't hit her that hard…"

Kairi opened her mouth to protest, but closed it. "Never mind, Sora. You wouldn't get it anyway."

"Get what?"

"Ignore it!"

Cloud cleared his throat, and brought their attention to him. Tifa was dusting herself off beside him. "The three of us are in the next round. It's a short tournament, so the next round is already the semifinals."

"Then who's the last guy?"

"Him," Tifa answered, pointing at one side of the stands.

It took a bit of looking to find who she was talking about. Finally, Sora spotted him standing in the shadows. Dressed in black with a long red cape, long black hair and red eyes, he looked intimidating, even from a far, and his pointed metal boots and clawed gauntlet added to the effect. He didn't pay any attention to them, turning and walking into the lobby, his cape flowing behind him.

"That's Vincent for you," she muttered, crossing her arms.

Sora looked at Tifa. "You know him?"

"Vincent Valentine," Cloud answered. "He's a friend of ours, of a certain sort. Mysterious kind of guy, but he can be pretty nice when he wants to be. Still, he's your next opponent."

"Mine?"

Kairi nudged him. "No, mine."

* * *

_Can anyone guess who Kairi's opponent in this chapter was? A billion cookies and a speedy update if anyone can._


	5. Weapon Rage

_Well, I did promise a speedy update, I guess. Howver, no one got it. Considering only two people guessed (or even commented), it's to be expected. Anyway, a million cookies to Divine Wolfe for being the closest with Tidus, who, despite being tanned, has brown hair dyed blond and doesn't have metal pants. The rest of the cookies are mine._

_Kairi's opponent in the last chapter was Vaan from Final Fantasy XII. It's my favorite game ever and the first PS2 game I played. He's not the only character from the game who'll be in this story, so I hope you look forward to it._

_I also want to note my sadness over the lack of reviews for that last chapter. I know, I know, I took a while to update, but writing these long, tedious fight scenes takes its toll on my attention span, and I needed some time to adjust to things. So, please, if you're reading, review, even if it's just to say that it's good, or to demade more updates. It'll really do wonders for battling my procrastination._

_Without further rambling, let the chapter begin!_

* * *

**Chapter 5 - Weapon Rage**

* * *

The next day, the semifinals of the tournament, Sora was feeling full of energy. He met up with Kairi at the arena, where she was stretching in preparation for her match. Cloud was sitting in his place in the stands from the previous day, but Tifa had joined him, sitting cross-legged on the bench. When Kairi saw him, she stopped her stretches.

"Nervous, Sora?"

"Not at all!" he said, but stopped. "Actually, maybe a little. But… I'm not worried about me…"

Kairi sighed. "Sora, you don't have to worry about me. I can handle this guy."

"Maybe that's what I'm worried about. If you win, then I'll have to fight you and, truthfully, I'd rather not have to."

"Don't think about that now," she smiled, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "If you get distracted, Cloud will end up hurting you, and then _I'll_ be worried."

He gave her a smile in return. "Right. Good luck."

"Luck? I don't think I need it."

"Still, having luck is better than not having it."

"Good point. Thanks, Sora. Really, it means a lot to me."

"No problem." Giving her a wave, he ran off to join Cloud and Tifa in the stands.

Cloud looked him over out of the corner of his eyes. "Worried?"

"Yes."

"Good. It means you care."

"Huh?"

Before he had time to question Cloud's words further, Vincent walked into the arena and the match was set to begin. Sora took another look at him. He seemed on the skinny side, even compared to Kairi, who had some compact muscular build on her. His intimidating presence also seemed to have lost its strength.

"He seems… different. Not as scary."

Tifa laughed. "Vincent isn't scary, though everyone thinks that he is. Watch closely."

Kairi and Vincent both kept their distance, circling each other as they kept to the edges of the arena, waiting for an opening. Kairi moved first, crossing the distance at an angle to intercept his path. She dived, taking a swipe at his legs, but Vincent jumped over it, flipping once in the air to land behind her. Pushing herself into a back flip to land on her feet, Kairi tried again, aiming her foot for his head. Almost gracefully, Vincent dropped under it and swung his leg out to trip her. It worked, sending her sprawling onto her back.

Kairi rolled herself into a crouch and sprang back to her feet. They both resumed circling for a moment, and then Kairi sprang at him again, this time aiming a series of kicks and punches at him. She was aiming at large, easy to hit areas, but all of her strikes missed by slight inches, Vincent backing away agilely to avoid them. Kairi resorted to another kick at his head, this time straight on, but Vincent leaned back out of her reach.

Using her momentum, she finished the turn and started another, switching to her other leg. This time, the kick landed Vincent squarely on the chest, making him stumble. He recovered quickly, but Kairi had already put her next plan into action. She had rounded to his backside while he was recovering. Vincent tried to turn, trying to keep her in his line of sight, but she shifted with him, acting as if she was glued to his back.

"What is she doing?" Sora asked.

"It's a good tactic. You stay behind your opponent and move as they move," Tifa explained. "It takes good reflexes to do, and it requires you to stay a step ahead of your opponent, but it's worth it. The person it's used against gets easily confused and expends more energy. But, then again..."

Vincent rolled forward, masking himself with his cloak as he put distance between them. Kairi moved to keep up, but Vincent's cape swirled around him and a loud bang filled the air. Suddenly, Kairi was clutching her shoulder, backing away carefully.

"What happened?"

Cloud sniffed. "Vincent decided to get serious."

As Vincent straightened up, Sora saw something and leaned forward for a closer look. In Vincent's hand was a three-barreled handgun, each barrel decorated with the head of a dog. He quickly reloaded it, sliding the ammunition in place while keeping his eyes on Kairi, who was still holding her shoulder. Green magic sparkled around her fingers, healing her injury, and she resumed her fighting stance.

Sora was frantic. "Are guns even allowed?"

"No one's said anything about it, so it's fine, I guess," Cloud shrugged.

Taking a second to think of a plan, Kairi began closing the distance between them, moving forward slowly in awkward, uneven zigzags. Vincent held his gun level, following her with his eyes, his gun occasionally shifting position in accordance with hers. Suddenly, he shifted his gun's position and fired straight down the middle of the arena. Two loud impacts shuddered against the barrier, but the third made contact, slicing through Kairi's side.

Instead of stopping, she adjusted her footing and dived into a roll, coming up on his side. She punched, but Vincent stepped back and aimed a kick at her weak side. With no time to dodge, she dropped flat on her back, letting his foot pass harmlessly over her. Before he finished, she swung her legs up and wrapped her ankles around his. Vincent's balance wavered, but he yanked his foot down and out of her hold.

Kairi scrambled to her feet, clutching her side, and Vincent waited, his gun at his side. She cast a healing spell, her wound closing up, but he continued to stay motionless.

"What's he doing?" Sora asked, "Normally, she'd be attacked if she stopped like that."

"They understand what kind of fighter the other is. That, and they both want to face each other at full strength," Tifa explained, "It's a fair, even match, an honourable tournament battle. Tournaments are different from real battles. It's a test of the other's skills, not a death match."

"Makes sense… I guess…"

Finished her healing, Kairi faced Vincent down, fists at the ready. Vincent remained stationary for another moment and then raised his arm. Kairi shifted her stance, but dropped her arms when she saw what Vincent did: he holstered his gun. Taking advantage of her shock, he aimed a kick at her chest and it connected, sending her flying. She hit the barrier and collapsed to the ground. After a few attempts to push herself to her feet, she stayed down, breathing hard. Vincent had won.

The moment the barrier was down, Sora vaulted the stands in front of him and rushed into the arena, Cloud and Tifa behind him. Vincent was already there, helping Kairi to her feet.

"Thank you," she said, dusting herself off, "You outsmarted me, but it was a good match. I'll be sure to learn from it."

He nodded. "My pleasure."

Sora skidded to a halt beside her. "Are you okay, Kairi?"

"I'm fine, Sora. I didn't hit the barrier that hard. Is there a reason why you're so worried about me all the time?"

"Well, it's kind of… I'm so used to worrying about you, and this is kind of a big step forward. I worried about you enough when I didn't know where you were, but watching you put yourself in danger is…"

"I understand how you feel," she said, patting his arm comfortingly, "Really, I do. It's the same for me. But I trust you, and I know you'll find a way to take care of yourself, so I know that I shouldn't let my worry get in my way. Try to do the same, alright?"

"Right."

"The only thing you should be worried about right now," Cloud said, his hand resting on the handle of his sword, "is fighting me. I'm looking forward to it."

Sora summoned his Keyblade as everyone else cleared the arena. "Same here."

The moment the barrier went up, Cloud pulled the sword off his back and met Sora's Keyblade with a resounding clang. They exchanged a quick volley of blows before backing off. Then Cloud struck again, putting Sora on the defensive. He dodged and rolled away from what he couldn't block, and as Cloud continued to attack, he found himself dodging more.

'Is he… He seems like he's getting stronger, and faster. Shouldn't it be the other way around?'

Cloud swung his sword into a low attack, forcing Sora to jump. Thinking quickly, he redirected his fall and landed on the blade, using it as a ramp. His weight forced Cloud to drop his weapon, and Sora took aim at his head. Cloud ducked under it and kicked at Sora's legs, his foot slamming into Sora's shins. Sora winced and toppled over, clutching his stinging shins with one hand, giving Cloud the chance to retrieve his sword. He instantly switched back to the offensive, but Sora rolled away from his strike, grimacing as he sprung back to his feet.

Adjusting his hold on his sword, Cloud charged in for another strike, but something struck him as different. Cloud attacked with a downward strike, which Sora avoided, but continued straight into a sidelong swipe. Recognizing it, Sora jumped out of the way, shifting his position when Cloud returned with the third slash, another sidelong swipe in the opposite direction.

Cloud took another slash at Sora, but he ducked and struck back, his attack meeting with the handle of Cloud's sword. They distanced themselves from each other, catching their breath. Then, Sora blinked and Cloud was nowhere in sight. Something rustled behind him and he dodged out of the way as Cloud brought his sword down in another strike. He ducked under the next two slashes and attack, catching Cloud's arm. Cloud retaliated, striking down at Sora, but he blocked it with his Keyblade and kicked the sword back, making Cloud stumble. From there, Sora landed another hit, this time on Cloud's chest. They both backed away, panting hard.

'Attacking him head on is no good. He's larger and stronger than I am, so I have to use that to my advantage. I'm smaller and quicker, even if only slightly, but it's all I've got to outmaneuver him.'

Sora charged straight at Cloud, who returned the action, but he ducked and rolled at the last second, coming up on Cloud's side. He blocked the attack, but barely, using the hilt of his sword to cover. Sora tried again, shifting his weight to avoid the next attack by inches before swinging his Keyblade up into an attack that hit Cloud's arm. His grip on his sword slipped, and Sora took the chance, landing a few more hits before he had to back off.

Diving in for another strike, he was caught off guard when Cloud hit him with his sword, cringing as he used his injured arm. He tried to dodge, but the tip of the blade scraped a cut across his face. It stunned him, but he recovered quickly enough to divert the next attack, letting the sword blade slide down the length of his Keyblade. The blade's edge struck the Keyblade's teeth and, twisting it, he almost pulled it out of Cloud's hands. Bringing his foot up, he kicked the handle from his grip and the sword clattered to the ground.

Cloud tried to grab for his weapon, but Sora stood in his path, Keyblade ready to block his approach. They faced each other down for a moment, each trying to predict the other's moves. Then Cloud pulled a feint, drawing Sora's position right before he lunged past his left. Sora retaliated, swinging his Keyblade around from the other side. It hit Cloud across the face, knocking him backwards.

For a while, neither of them moved, but as Cloud tried to get up, Sora stood on the handle of his sword. With a half smile and a shrug, he lay back down and Phil announced Sora the winner.

Sora ran over and helped Cloud up. "You okay?"

"Never better," he grumbled, rubbing his sore limbs, "Not every day that I get beaten by a kid with a giant key."

"I guess… Hey! I'm not a kid anymore!"

"You still act like one," the blond man pointed out, and they both laughed.

The barrier went down and Kairi and Tifa came to them from the stands to join them. Cloud, now holding his head, went over to retrieve his sword. Kairi cast a healing spell on him, and he waved thanks over his shoulder as she turned her attention to healing Sora.

"I'm pretty impressed," Tifa said, "It's been a while since Cloud could say he got beaten up like that."

"Really?" Sora beamed, "That makes me feel better about it."

Cloud scowled at them, his sword strapped to his back again. "I hope it does. You might need it for tomorrow's match."

Sora nodded. "Against Vincent."

"Right. Vincent hasn't used all of his abilities, and here's hoping he doesn't have to."

"Why not?" Kairi asked.

"Hopefully, you won't need to find out."

* * *

That night, Sora headed back to the arena and sat in the stands. Staring down from his seat, he started dosing off until he heard the light poof of someone sitting down next to him. He looked at Kairi in confusion.

"You're up early."

"You're staying up late," she replied slyly, "Something's bothering you."

"Sort of."

"What's on your mind?"

Sora sighed. "Really, I'm not sure."

"You wouldn't be awake if something wasn't wrong."

"I have a lot on my mind."

"Like?"

"Worrying about Riku, for one. There's no telling what could be happening to him."

Kairi rested her chin in her hands. "If the Organization is smart, then he'll be just fine. If they can't take you out by attacking you, they'll use Riku to set a trap, knowing that you'll try to rescue him."

Something about the idea didn't convince him. He leaned back against the seat and stared up at the sky.

"And? The other thing?"

"Something about Vincent feels off."

"How so?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but it feels weird. Dark and horrifying, but not bad. I was wondering if maybe…"

"…he has ties to the Organization?"

He nodded. "I was thinking about that, but I'm not sure. He doesn't feel like a Nobody."

"He doesn't fight like one, either. Fighting a Nobody feels different, but I understand what you mean." She stood up, turning to him with an outstretched hand. "Come on. We'll figure it out after tomorrow's match. Right now, you need to get some rest."

"Right," he said, taking her hand and returning the smile, "We'll figure it out tomorrow."


	6. I See Not Seen

**Chapter 6 - I See Not Seen**

* * *

Sora stood in his place in the arena, calming himself down before the match began. Across from him, Vincent was motionless, his arms hanging at his sides, eyes closed in concentration. 'He's too hard to read, standing around like that. I've seen him fight before, but this time is different. Also, I have to keep a close watch for those abilities that Cloud mentioned. They'll make a difference if he uses them, if what he said was right…'

The barrier went up to begin the match and Sora summoned his Keyblade, but Vincent remained stationary. Figuring something was up, Sora kept his distance, circling him just outside his unarmed attack range. He managed to circle around to Vincent's back, but he still didn't react. Deciding to make his move, he continued his circle, moving faster and closing in before striking at Vincent's side from a rearward angle. His Keyblade met Vincent's clawed gauntlet and was yanked from his grip, clattering to the ground. He rolled under Vincent's following kick and summoned the Keyblade back, ready to counter.

Vincent drew back, putting more distance between them, but Sora closed in on him, keeping the distance constant. Both avoided the barrier walls, sticking as much as they could to the open areas. With a quick, sudden movement, Vincent reached for his gun and Sora charged, the two weapons meeting with a metallic clang. Sora tried for another strike, but Vincent jumped over him, firing in midair at his back. Sora rolled forward, stopping in a crouch, and Vincent landed on his feet, firing another volley of shots. Expecting this, Sora pushed himself off to the side, smiling to himself as he heard the shots hit stone.

Sora raced around to one side and began the same zigzag method Kairi had used, but with a slight variation. He only completed partial zigzags, changing direction abruptly and pulling feints as he moved. Vincent kept his gun level, watching carefully for an opening. 'He's waiting, so I won't disappoint.' Changing direction, he charged straight at Vincent. As he expected, Vincent fired, but he pushed himself off course with his Keyblade the second before the shots came, tumbling to the ground. Something stung on his leg, but he ignored it, urging himself into a run. He circled around, following to Vincent's side, but Vincent changed pace, firing another three rounds of shots as he moved. The shots came close, one slicing through his hair dangerously close to his ears, but none made contact.

Close enough, Sora took a slash at Vincent, but the man jumped over him. He prepared to dodge, but a clicking sound made him change strategy: Vincent was reloading. Instead of moving, Sora drew his arm back and threw his Keyblade. It collided with Vincent's forehead, sending him stumbling backward, hit the barrier and bounced right back, smacking Vincent on the back of the head. The Keyblade came right back to Sora's hand.

Vincent wobbled, clutching his head with his free hand, and Sora took the opportunity to strike. Much to his surprise, Vincent blocked, using the barrel of his gun to deflect the attack. He tried a few more, similar strikes, but Vincent blocked them all in the same manner. Sora took a step back to rethink his attack plan, hoping to figure out some way to keep up, but shots kept him on his toes.

'I can't concentrate on dodging and think of a plan at the same time! I need to find some way to stop him from attacking, but I can't think about it! Ugh! ...Wait, was that…?' He continued dodging, quickly losing his chances of a close range attack, but as he did, he noticed something. He smiled. 'I knew it. Guns need to reload. He only gets six shots out before he needs to reload, so that's… what, sixteen? No, eighteen shots. I need to attack as he reloads.'

Vincent fired off his last three shots and paused slightly to reload. Sora took his chance, rushing straight at him, but he reloaded and fired again, sending them back into a stalemate. Sora kept as close as he could without arousing suspicion, dodging and keeping his attention glued on keeping track of Vincent's remaining shots. The moment Vincent stopped to reload, Sora jumped in with a flurry of attacks, beating down hard on his opponent. Dropping his semi-loaded gun, Vincent stumbled back against the barrier, clutching his chest. Sora ran in to attack, but pulled back as an orb of white-violet light surrounded Vincent.

When the orb of light exploded outwards, Sora was so started he almost lost his balance. In place of Vincent was a humanoid wolf creature twice his size, with long white hair, two metallic horns, a long muzzle filled with sharp teeth, and glowing yellow eyes. Its gloved hands and elongated feet ended in sharp claws, and a twisted piece of metal across its chest seemed to serve the same purpose as an armored chest plate. It wore tattered black pants and had Vincent's cape tied around its waist.

It let out a growl, and Sora felt shivers radiate down his back. 'It's going to eat me…'

The beast drew back its arm and brought it down in a large punching motion. Sora managed to recover fast enough to run out of the way. The impact of the attack on the ground bumped him half a foot into the air, but he managed to land and retain most of his balance, keeping his eyes over his shoulder. The beast seemed to glare at him, let out another growl, and swept at him with its claws. Sora jumped and rolled out of the way just in time, the back draft of the attack pushing him along.

Further angered by this, the beast roared, clasped its hands together, held them high over its head and jumped forward. Sora barely managed to jump out of the way as it landed and smashed its hands into the ground in front of it. The ground exploded into rock chunks and dust. Sora skidded as he tried to turn around and see where the Beast was, and was greeted as it backhanded him. For a moment, it felt like flying, but the sensation stopped when he hit the barrier and his world exploded with pain.

The beast's attack hadn't hurt, but it had used a lot of force, and the barrier was harder than a brick wall. Sora hit the barrier at an awkward angle, and suddenly everything hurt. His arms felt like lead, his legs felt like rubber, his head was spinning, and his back felt like an elephant had been standing on him on one leg. He hit the barrier like dead weight and fell to the ground with a dull thud. It took him a moment to recover and instantly regretted it. The beast was leaning over him, its yellow eyes staring intently at him. He could feel its breath against his skin and, for some reason, it felt cold.

Noticing that he was still conscious, the beast attacked, bringing its clawed hand in for another swipe. Sora wanted to move, but he couldn't will his body into reacting fast enough. He was only half standing when the attack hit. Its claws sliced through his clothes, into his skin, and he was tossed across the arena, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop against the barrier. Sora could feel his entire body ache and protest and the small part of his mind that was working informed him that he was bleeding.

'That thing… it's not hitting me with all its strength. It's barely hitting me at all, and I'm being tossed around by it like ball on the beach. It's just toying with me.'

Forcing himself to his feet, ignoring the fresh wetness he felt on his back and side, he summoned his Keyblade and stood his ground. "Come on! Stop playing around! Stop playing with me and hit me!"

As he'd expected, the beast was surprised, raising an invisible eyebrow at him. He took the chance to attack, taking a powerful slicing swing at the creature's legs. Much to his surprise, its skin was harder than he would have imagined, and his attack bounced right off. He stumbled backwards, almost sliding along the ground, and the beast retaliated, kicking him against the barrier with a loud roar.

The second time hitting the barrier hurt most than the first, and it added onto the pain. Not only that, but the beast's kick had surely broken a rib or two, as he found it hard to breathe. Somehow, he managed to stand up again, coughing and wheezing as his lungs struggled to get air past the pain. The beast reared up to its full height and ambled towards him.

Suddenly, the creature stopped and the orb of light surrounded it again, leaving behind a very worn out Vincent when it dispersed. He was gripping his chest, panting almost as heavily as Sora was. They met eyes for a second and it struck them both instantly: neither of them could fight any longer, and Vincent was unarmed.

Without a moment's hesitation, Vincent broke into a run towards his handgun, but Sora was closer. When Vincent dove for his weapon, Sora let out a strike at his side with the last of his strength. He then raced over and, as Vincent tried to sit up, pressed the tip of his Keyblade against the man's chest. Out of reach of his gun, Vincent didn't move, and Sora was declared the winner.

He dismissed his Keyblade, looking at Vincent with a confident smile, when everything when blurry and then black. He felt himself hit the ground, vaguely hearing the screams of people calling to him, but he could only ignore them as his consciousness faded out.

* * *

When the haze over his mind lifted, Sora opened his eyes to a mess of beautiful red hair and two concerned blue eyes looking down at him. She noticed him blink, lifted her head and shouted something, but it all sounded like fuzz to him. Everything only started to clear up when other faces joined hers.

"Wha… what happened?" he groaned, trying to remember why he had passed out.

Kairi smiled. "Blood loss. Your wounds were pretty bad, but I healed them and you've been resting it off."

"How long was I out?"

"Three hours or so." Cloud was the one who answered.

It was only then that he realized that his head was resting on Kairi's lap. Blushing bright red, he sat up and shifted his position on the bench, sitting with his hands in his lap. "Sorry."

She only smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Trying to act normal, he saw Vincent standing off to one side, keeping his distance. Quickly excusing himself, he went over to talk to him. "Hey, um… thanks for the match. It was great."

Vincent raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before he made a sound that told Sora he was smiling. "You're an interesting person. A little odd, perhaps, but interesting."

"It was a really close battle. I wasn't sure who was going to win," Kairi said as she walked up to join them. Tifa and Cloud followed.

"Vincent," Cloud spoke up, and the darker man turned his attention to him, "Do you think you could help them out? They're looking for someone."

Sora was surprised, and Kairi's expression said the same. "How did you know that?"

"I overheard your conversation last night," he explained, "Vincent, you think you can? You almost killed Sora with the Galian Beast," a comment which Vincent raised his eyebrows to, "and besides, you're trained in information gathering and suppression. It wouldn't hurt to try."

Vincent looked like he was glaring at Cloud for a while, but he closed his eyes and nodded.

Cloud smiled, and turned to Sora and Kairi. "Ask away."

"My friend has been captured by Organization XIII," Sora explained, "Do you know anything about them?"

There was a long silence before Vincent replied. "Organization XIII…"

"You don't know?"

"I wasn't finished talking," Vincent replied, sounding a bit miffed at being cut off, "I know about them. Anything specific?"

Kairi shook her head. "Anything at all, really. You never know what might come in handy."

"Organization XIII was formed a little over ten years ago. There were only six members upon founding, but the group has expanded exponentially since then. They had bases of operation in some worlds that seemed to provide interest for them, though I know nothing of why, but they withdrew from all of them recently. Something happened within the past year that made them abandon their previous projects and regroup at their formal base."

"They captured Riku…" Sora breathed.

Kairi's fists clenched. "Do you know where any of these bases are?"

"A few," he answered, and their expressions brightened. "Rumor has it that they planned to make a base at Castle Oblivion. There's been talk that they had a mission issued by their leader to go there, but no one knows what they planned to do there or why the order was withdrawn. The actual bases that I know of were in Twilight Town and Radiant Garden."

Sora crossed his arms, confused. "I've never heard of Twilight Town or Radiant Garden. How are we supposed to get there?"

"You've been to Radiant Garden before, Sora," Kairi explained. "Just under a different name."

"I have?"

"Radiant Garden was once called 'Hollow Bastion'," Vincent continued her point, "It recently reverted back to its original name when restoration of parts of the city center was completed and work on rebuilding the castle began. I've heard that the leader of Organization XIII himself, founder and ranked I within the group, held a special interest in something there. I don't know anything more about it."

"You've been a great help, Vincent. Thank you," Kairi said, "We owe you one."

He blinked. "You don't."

Sora chuckled. "Well, I guess we better get going, then, huh?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kairi asked, "I understand your haste, but…"

"I'm fine!" he replied, flexing his muscles, "We need to move fast, before our leads get cold… or something worse…"

Kairi nodded. "Take care," she said to the others, "all of you."

"You can bet we will," Tifa smirked.

"Tell Phil we said 'bye'," Sora told Cloud.

Cloud smiled. "I'll be sure to tell him."

"See you guys."

"We'll meet again," Vincent said, surprising everyone, "soon."

Sora chuckled. "You can count on it."

Kairi pulled the Star Shard out of her bag and held out her other hand. "I'll do the steering this time, alright?" Not wanting to protest, Sora shrugged, took her hand, and closed his eyes. The light flashed, and they left.

* * *

In The World That Never Was, a black coated figure walked into the prison and stood in front of Riku's cell. When he didn't respond, they began swaying side to side with their hands clasped behind their back. This continued for a few minutes until they got bored, pouting slightly from under their hood. They walked closer, their shoes clicking against the smooth floor, the sound rebounding off the walls. Displeased by the continued lack of response, they cleared their throat.

"It's nice to meet you, Riku," they said in a distinctly female voice, pushing back their hood to reveal pale skin, short black hair, and blue eyes, "My name is Xion."


	7. Reception of Radiance

**Chapter 7 - Reception of Radiance**

* * *

When Sora opened his eyes, he was taken aback by what he saw. He was standing on a cobblestone street, surrounded by beautiful white buildings, their outsides decorated with intricate designs. Vine-like plants were only just starting to grow up the sides of the buildings, but they complimented the flowers growing in along the street sides and in flowerboxes under some windows. Looking up, he could see the castle in the distance, its metallic copper towers being covered up with pristine white stone.

Before Sora could open his mouth and express his surprise in words, something - or someone - jumped in front of him, startling him, and almost knocked him over when it wrapped him in a hug. Within moments, he was gasping for air. Kairi said something that he couldn't make out and he was released, filling his lungs again.

"Sorry about that! I'm just so happy to see you again!"

'I'd recognize that voice anywhere.' "It's good to see you again, too, Yuffie. Just don't strangle me next time."

Yuffie only smiled. She was dressed in something similar to what Sora remembered; a midriff-bearing black tank top with a white flower pattern, with a black vest over it, short black shorts, a black headband, boots, and knee guards. Her black hair was still cut in its short style, and she was still slightly taller than him.

"You seem to be doing well," Kairi commented.

Yuffie bounced, full of energy. "You bet! Everyone else is doing great, too! Want an update?"

"Sure."

"Well, here's how things are…" Yuffie began with a sly smirk, "Leon… is on a date."

Sora jumped. "Really!"

"Sure is! He actually found himself a girlfriend, and she seems to like him a lot. He was trying to keep her a secret for a while, but nothing escapes the eyes of the Great Ninja Yuffie, so I followed him and saw for myself. She's pretty good looking, and it looks like she's exactly his type."

Kairi smiled. "That's good. It sounds like he's happy. How about the others?"

"Well, Cid is his usual grumpy self, and he's been in heated competition with Merlin on how to run the systems around here. Things are lively with those two arguing all the time. Aerith has been growing flowers in an abandoned building, but we managed to convince her to move some of them to various parts of the city, and man, has it made a difference. We've started restoration work on the castle, too, so things are really looking up."

"I've really missed a lot then, haven't I?" Sora muttered, looking at surroundings again with a saddened expression.

Yuffie was suddenly in his face. "Speaking of which, what took you so long? Kairi said a year ago that you'd woken up, and you only got here now!"

He laughed sheepishly. "It's a long story…"

"Well, you can save it for later," Yuffie exclaimed, "No need to tell it more than once. I'll go let everyone know you're back. You guys can head to the command center."

Before either of them could reply to her comments, she jumped up onto the roof of one of the buildings and sprang away. Left with no other option, they headed off, Kairi leading the way.

"It's so beautiful," Sora remarked, "So, how did all of this happen?"

"You mean, how did the dreaded Hollow Bastion become this place?"

"Yeah. Last time I was here, I never saw anything like this."

Kairi folded her hands behind her back. "Well, from what Leon told me, they camped out here after you left and, combing the castle, they found all kinds of research notes and designs. They sorted through it all and ultimately came across a database from back before the Heartless invaded. That's where they found images, outlines, and all kinds of files on the original Radiant Garden. From there, they decided to rebuild it, and people have been coming back to help and to live here. The only thing left to rebuild, it seems, is the castle."

"I'm impressed. All this work in four years…"

"Cid says it's still not back to its full glory, but they're close, and it's given people a lot of hope. Like… this place is a representation of their lives. The darkness that destroyed their hope and left them with nothing can be banished and the light of hope can shine again."

"That's…very poetic," Sora noted. "You're good."

"Thanks." She stopped. "Here, this is it. The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee Command Center."

The building they were stopped in front of looked like an overly large white brick house but was lacking any front windows, instead sporting a set of wooden double doors. It was two or three stories high, though the lack of windows made it impossible to tell which. Like most of the other buildings around it, it sported the decorative designs and tendrils of vinery were more prominent, covering most of the side walls and parts of the roof.

The inside was more hectic, tubes and pipes with various functions tacked at awkward angles along the ceiling. There were tables scattered with documents and folders and envelopes cluttering up the center of the room, and the entire room was marked off into two sections. One side of the room was filled with pots and bottles of bubbling or sparkling liquids, some boiling over the fireplace while others were draining into another container through a massive system of tubes and filters. The other side of the room was littered with machine parts in boxes, larger pieces sitting in the middle of the floor or on the stairs. There was a computer in the back corner, and Sora was happy to see that he recognized the person typing away furiously at it.

"Cid!"

Cid didn't look up. "Pipe down, will ya! I'm tryin' ta-" He stopped midsentence, turning his chair to face them. "Well, 'bout time you got here!"

"Good to see you too, Cid. You haven't changed a bit."

Footsteps stopped on the stairs, and everyone looked over. Aerith hopped hurriedly down the last couple of steps. "Sora, it's good to see you. And welcome back, Kairi." She gave them a comforting hug, which they returned. Aerith hadn't changed her hairstyle by much, but her outfit had changed to pink dress over a white dress with a pink and white top over it. She still wore her brown boots, albeit a much newer and cleaner pair.

Sora smiled. "I like these kinds of welcomes the best."

"And now the gang's all here!" Yuffie bounded in the door, three people following her at much slower pace.

Leon was the same as ever, but he had adopted a shorter haircut. His Gunblade was strapped to his belts, but something about the atmosphere of the town made Sora think that he was carrying it for his own reassurance more than anyone else's.

Standing close to him was a woman with long dark brown hair and matching brown eyes. She was wearing a black undershirt and shorts with a denim skirt overtop, completed with a sleeveless ribbed blue duster with white angel wings on the back, matching arm warmers, and a pair of black boots.

The third person was an older man with blond hair, which he wore in a short cut, a blond beard, and a scar over his left eye. He wore a pair of tan shorts, brown boots with matching shin guards and bracers, and a loose white shirt that seemed impossibly too large.

"Well, it's good to you both came back okay," Leon muttered, mustering as much of a smile as his permanent frown would allow.

Yuffie jumped to the woman's side. "This is Rinoa, Leon's girlfriend."

Leon blushed and tried to backhand her, but Yuffie jumped nimbly out of the way.

Rinoa shook both of their hands. "It's nice to meet both of you."

The other man walked over to them and did the same, while Leon took care of the introductions. "Captain Ronsenburg, this is Sora. Sora, meet Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg, head of the Radiant Garden Defensive Forces."

"Nice to meet you."

Basch nodded. "You, as well."

Yuffie was still bouncing with excitement. "So, now that the introductions are over…"

"Where's Merlin?" Sora asked, looking around, "I see his stuff and not him."

Rinoa chuckled. "Merlin and Cid aren't on good terms, so they refuse to be in the same room at the same time."

"Leon," Aerith spoke up, "Shouldn't we…?"

"Right." Leon walked into Merlin's half of the room, sorted through some objects, and finally returned with a large brown pillow. Resting on it were two large orbs, one red and one blue, their insides churning like liquids. "His Majesty wanted us to give these to you when you came."

Sora was surprised. "His Majesty was here!"

"Left here yesterday," Cid commented, turning back to his work.

"Donald and Goofy too!" Yuffie added cheerfully.

"And we missed them?"

Aerith placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "They said they were sorry they couldn't wait, but they were doing their best to help you. They left these behind to help you in the only way they could."

Kairi was staring at the orbs. "But what are they?"

"Merlin was studying them earlier, but he didn't say," Leon explained, "Apparently, His Majesty just said that 'no one should pick them up but Sora', so we haven't."

"Here goes nothing, then." Reaching out, he grabbed the red orb. The moment he touched it, it vanished, sucked up into the skin of his hand. At first it left a painful, fiery feeling in his skin, but he adjusted and let its warmth spread throughout his body. Looking down, he noticed that a pattern had etched itself onto his sleeves and pants in red lines. As the markings on his clothes faded, the warm feeling faded as well. "What was that? And those markings?"

"They're called fleur-de-lis," Aerith answered, "They're a decorative symbol for lilies."

"I never knew that…" Sora reached for the blue orb and it vanished in the same manner, filling his body with an icy cold feeling. This time, his clothes were patterned in blue flames. Like the first, the feeling and markings vanished together.

Kairi looked him over. "You don't seem different at all."

He shrugged. "Let me try something." Closing his eyes, Sora concentrated, searching within himself for the power he felt before. He found one, the warm feeling, and poured all of his focus into it. It responded, the warmth spreading all over his body and reaching outside him. Opening his eyes, he saw that his clothes had given off a wave of light. Instead of their normal navy, red and yellow colors, his clothes were black and red with white trim, the fleur-de-lis pattern solidified and sown into them. His Keyblade had appeared in his hand, but something else caught his attention. "My hand is tingling."

Yuffie looked at his Keyblade. "Really?"

"No, my other hand," he said, holding it up, "It feels weird."

"Let me see." Reaching out, Kairi grabbed his free hand. The moment their hands made contact, there was a bright flash of light and another Keyblade appeared, a familiar white one.

"Oathkeeper…" Sora breathed, and then he smiled excitedly, "I can wield two Keyblades at the same time! This is unbelievable!"

Kairi was just as taken aback. "Amazing…"

"You've got that right," Leon added, "but from the looks of things, you're a long way from actually using it in battle."

Sora shrugged. "I guess I'll have to practice. Just one question…How do I stop?" Almost as if commanded, his clothes reverted to normal and the second Keyblade disappeared in another bright flash. "I guess… that's one way…"

"You'll figure out how to use them better in time," Aerith reassured him, "You can take as much time as you need, and we'll do our best to help."

"Thanks."

Cid stood up, his chair making a grating sound on the floor. "Well, I don't know about you, but I`m beat."

Rinoa nodded. "I agree. It's been a long day. We'll start your training in the morning."

They wished each other a good night, and Leon left to walk Rinoa home. Basch left as well, having some things he needed to take care of. Sora and Kairi followed everyone else upstairs.

Aerith led them to two empty rooms at the end of the hall. "These are your rooms. They'll always be here, so feel free to come back anytime you want while you're out looking."

"Thanks, Aerith," Sora replied, "It means a lot."

"You're a part of the family," she smiled, turning to leave, "Good night."

"Good night, Aerith," Kairi called back. Once the hall was empty, she turned to Sora. "Well, um…"

"Uh…G-good night… Kairi," he fumbled out, blushing.

Kairi suddenly wrapped him a hug. "Good night, Sora," she whispered, and then released him and went to her room, leaving a very embarrassed and stunned Sora behind her.

* * *

Leaning against the railing of Naught's Skyway, Roxas instantly felt the shift in his powers and was jolted out of his deep thoughts. Straightening up, he looked around for the disturbance, but saw nothing. The feeling persisted and, deciding to cautious, he summoned his Keyblades. His black Keyblade, Oblivion, appeared in his hand, but Oathkeeper did not, a tingling feeling the only thing his attempt to summon it brought. He stood still for a while, his hands beginning to shake and he continually tried to summon his other Keyblade. Infuriated, he threw Oblivion to the ground so hard that it almost bounced back to his hand before it disappeared in a bright flash.

Gripping his head, feeling tears in his eyes, Roxas dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground. "I'll _kill him_ for this," he seethed, his voice shaky, "No one _ever_ takes _my_ Keyblades. Not even _him_. Never!"


	8. Hurricane Heartless

_It's been far too long since the last update, and I have to apologize for that. I've had some problems with my internet, some lack of motivation, and my PSP has recently become very distracting. However, I've finished Persona 3 Protable and Birth by Sleep, so I can finally pick up on my work. I apologize ahead of time if this and the next chapter aren't very good, and some people are out of character. Bear with me, people. I'm only human, okay? Anyway, enjoy!_

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* * *

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Chapter 8 - Hurricane Heartless

* * *

For the following two days, Sora spent all of his time training his 'Drive Forms', as he decided to call them. It took him a while to get into the hang of calling on their power, but the difficult part came when calling them in battle. Leon, Yuffie, Basch, Rinoa, and even Cid helped, taking turns attacking him while he tried to call on its power. Leon was the hardest to defend against, his attacks with his Gunblade versatile and complicated to block. Yuffie took too much attention to battle, attacking from afar with her giant shuriken. Basch wielded a large two-handed sword and his attacks were powerful, giving Sora practice for changing forms while dodging. Rinoa used a boomerang-like weapon, thrown by a motor strapped to her arm. To Sora's surprise, Cid's weapon was a spear, and he wielded it in such a proficient manner that Sora spent more time running away from him than transforming. Kairi and Aerith were constantly on hand to heal any injuries.

The training worked fairly well, and it served its purpose. By the end of the second day, Sora could change into his red dual-wielding form, which he called 'Valor Form', without a second thought.

Yuffie pointed something out as they were sitting down for dinner. "You haven't used your other form."

"Huh?" Sora looked up from moving stacks of papers while she set up the plates. "What do you mean?"

"There were two orbs, right? A red one and a blue one. You've only been using the red one."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter, I guess. If I can use one power, it'll be the same to call on the other."

"That's not a smart idea," Kairi interrupted, helping Aerith and Rinoa with the food, "You said so yourself; they feel different. If you call on it and it doesn't work, you could find yourself in a difficult situation. And besides, it may have different powers. You'll need time to adjust to them."

"Fine, fine. I'll try it out tomorrow."

* * *

When Sora woke up the next morning, he knew it was too early. The room was completely dark, only a thin haze of light coming in through his shuttered windows. Still, something felt off, so he got out of bed. He had just finished dressing when there was a knock on his door.

Kairi, fully dressed and wide-awake, didn't wait for him to answer, pushing the door open. "We've got trouble. There are a bunch of Heartless between here and the castle. Leon and the others have already headed out."

"Then what are we waiting for?" He summoned his Keyblade, hefting it over his shoulder, "We can't let them get too much of a head start."

Quietly, they left the command center and took off down the street, following a route toward the castle that Leon had pointed out to them the day before.

"Sora, don't you think something's wrong with this situation?" Kairi asked as they ran, her braid bouncing against her back, "I mean, Basch was telling me yesterday that the Heartless haven't been around her in months, and now they show up with almost no warning? Something about that sounds suspicious."

"You think someone's behind it?"

"Not sure, but I think we'd be safer if we kept the possibility open."

"Then who? Maleficent?" His expression grew serious. "Could it be the Organization?"

She shook her head. "I can't say for sure, but it's probably not Maleficent. From the sound of it, you did a number on her last time."

"It's been four years, Kairi. Something may have happened."

"Still… I see your point though. But then again, it may be the Organization. I don't know how they would be controlling the Heartless, but that's my only problem. Logically, they could be behind it."

They arrived at the area, a long bricked pathway leading to the base of the castle, and Sora skidded to a halt. "We can worry about it later. Right now, I feel like greeting some old friends…"

The others were already in combat, the Heartless swarming around them. From where they were, Sora could make out the cries of Leon and Basch, grunting with effort as they sliced through their enemies. He also spotted bursts of Merlin's magic, and clouds of dust that Yuffie used in her ninja teleportation. With a brief glance at Kairi, who nodded her assent, they joined the battle.

Most of the Heartless were ones Sora recognized: Shadows, Soldiers, Large Bodies, Powerwilds, Pirates, and Wyverns, but others were new to him. There were hornlike Heartless that healed themselves and summoned other Heartless, plant Heartless that attacked with seeds and roots, and tall Shadow-like Heartless that were almost as tall as him. He paid particular attention to the new ones, not entirely sure what they were capable of.

The two of them ran into a swarm of Heartless, Sora taking the lead as he slashed his way through a cluster that was closest to him. Kairi fell in behind him, punching and kicking any Heartless that tried to attack him from behind. They fought almost back to back, keeping enough distance between them that they didn't get in each other's way.

Almost instantly, Sora descended into the comfort of battle. 'This is the kind of fighting I miss. Fighting Heartless, beating my way through hordes of enemies… It doesn't get better than this.' He jumped up to avoid a plant root and sliced clean through a Wyvern, which disintegrated and released a heart. He landed and sliced up through a Powerwild that had been sliding towards him, kicking a Shadow as he straightened out and continued attacking.

Behind him, Kairi was making similar progress. She jumped up and over a Large Body, using its shoulders as advantage to shove her foot through the weak spot of its back. It dispersed and she landed, immediately spinning to kick a Pirate into a pile of its comrades, which flailed as it landed, taking each other out. A larger Shadow-like Heartless tried to jump her from behind, but she grabbed its hands and swung it like a weapon, tossing it out of the way before jumping down on a horn Heartless. The Heartless honked under her heavy black boots and a green healing light washed over her before it dispersed.

The Heartless' numbers seemed unending and, feeling the pressure of their unrelenting numbers, Sora shifted into Valor Form, enjoying the warmth that washed over him. He brandished his Keyblade and called upon the second, feeling for the familiar sensation of the magical weapon. The feeling came, but was instantly disrupted by a tingling in his fingers. Multitasking, he dodged an attack and blocked another, continuing to try for his secondary weapon. Multiple attempts yielded the same result.

"Kairi! Problem!" he shouted, ducking under some seeds aimed at his head, "Big problem!"

She looked in his direction, pulling a Soldier over her head and slamming it into a pile of Shadows. "What is it?"

"No second Keyblade!" he replied, slashing a path to her side with in one available weapon.

"So?" she grunted, kicking a Large Body backwards, wiping out a line of other Heartless that had been standing behind it, "That shouldn't be a problem."

"But it defeats the purpose of Valor Form."

Looking at him briefly with almost a glare, she grabbed his free hand and half-dragged him with her for a moment as she aimed a punch at larger Shadow with her other hand. He felt the weapon coming to his hand and the familiar light flashed, but there was still no Keyblade. "Try something else!" she yelled, tossing him at some Heartless.

He crashed into the Heartless pile and managed to roll out of the way as they tried to pile on him. A couple landed their attacks, their claws slicing into his skin and clothes. He jumped out of the way, dodging as he tried to call on magic to heal himself, but the magical sensation didn't come. "Kairi!"

"_What is it_?" she screamed, kicking a Large Body's stomach with such force that it disintegrated in one hit.

"No magic! I can't heal!"

In response, she grabbed a horn Heartless and threw it at his head. The Heartless disintegrated on impact, and Sora reverted from Valor Form, stumbling to try to regain his balance. Quickly, he called upon the icy sensation and transformed into his other form, his clothes turning blue with flame designs on the sleeves and pants. Instead of regaining his balance, he promptly lost it, something slippery under his feet causing him to fall. As he hit the ground, the slippery surface transferred itself to his back, and he skidded along the ground headfirst.

Sliding along, he ran into a Large Body and slid up its stomach, into the air. There, he cast a healing spell and followed it with Blizzard, blasting the Large Body through the back. He landed, the slippery surface returning to his feet, and pin wheeled his arms to keep his balance.

As the Heartless were distracted by Kairi's rampage, Sora got a better look over his second form. In addition to the different color, he had lost the ability to dual wield Keyblades, not feeling anything when he tried to summon another. The slippery feeling, which he had attributed to an enemy attack, was a layer of magical energy, keeping him from touching the ground. It acted like rollerblades, but he could transfer the surface to anywhere on his body.

A Shadow Heartless charged him and he swung at it, but his Keyblade didn't hit it, requiring to shift his footing to dodge. When he finished the swing, however, his Keyblade let out a blue burst of energy that caused a plant Heartless to explode. The Shadow came around for another attack and, on a whim, Sora pointed his Keyblade at it and thought about attacking. Another blue burst fired from his weapon and the Shadow was gone.

'Magical energy bullets? On top of magic skating powers? I like this form!'

Skating around, Sora fired off magic bullets as quickly as he could, reducing numbers of Heartless into nothing in a short amount of time. A plant Heartless shot some seeds at him and he ducked under them, sliding along on his back while he continued shooting. Some of the Heartless seemed to be backing away, but he kept the pressure on, experimentally flipping his feet up. He transferred the magic surface to one hand, his Keyblade in the other, and slid around like that, his feet flopping down to hang over his head.

Quickly, the Heartless swarm diminished and the last ones were defeated. Sora flipped back to his feet and skated over to Kairi, folding his hands behind his back and skating along on one foot. "What do you think?"

"I think you're showing off," she scowled. "Why do you get magic forms, anyway?"

"I don't know, but they're great."

She thought for a moment. "Maybe that's what Flora meant."

"Huh?"

"She said, when they gave you those clothes, that they were magic. Maybe your ability to change forms has something to do with that."

He laughed. "Well, whatever the reason, I really like this. I was thinking of calling this 'Wisdom Form' because of its magic powers, like this sliding ability. It's so fun, I actually don't want to stop." Suddenly, he reverted from his form and his feet hit the ground. The momentum he had built up carried him forward and he fell, face first, to the ground.

Kairi burst into a fit of laughter. "Really smart, Sora. I can see why you called it 'Wisdom Form': because you lack a lot of wisdom without it."

Grumbling, Sora picked himself up off the ground. "You're acting strange, Kairi. It's oddly…malevolent of you. You even threw a Heartless at my head."

"Well, you see, when I concentrate on fighting, I channel all my frustrations outward and use them as energy. And, though you probably didn't notice, stepping on that kind of Heartless that I threw at you causes them to heal you, so I was actually trying to help," she blushed, fidgeting with her vest.

"I'll keep that in mind for next time…"

"Guys! We've got major trouble on our hands!" Yuffie shouted, appearing in a puff of smoke as everyone gathered. Sora hadn't even noticed she had vanished.

"What happened, Yuffie?" Leon asked.

She looked at them frantically. "Aerith has been kidnapped!"


	9. Unexpect the Change

**Chapter 9 - Unexpect the Change**

* * *

Sora was confused. "She's been _what_?"

Yuffie grabbed him by the collar and shook him, accentuating each word. "Aerith. Has. Been. Kidnapped!"

"Enough, Yuffie. We get the picture," Leon grumbled, yanking her away by the back of her vest. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know! I went to her building to check on her, make sure everything was okay, especially after I saw how Sora was handling things, but when I got there, she was gone! At first, I thought she was somewhere else, but then I saw that someone had trampled all over her flowers!"

Sora was still confused. "And how do trampled flowers tell you it was kidnapping?"

"No one would dare step on Aerith's flowers. She adores them. Only someone who would want to cause Aerith harm would step on her flowers," Rinoa explained grimfaced.

"We'll split up and look for her," Leon instructed, "Unless you find her, we'll meet back at the command center in twenty minutes."

Everyone agreed and they headed back into the city, where they split into pairs and headed out. Sora, naturally, ended up with Kairi, and the two of them wandered around, keeping their eyes open for any sign of their friend.

"You think…" he asked out of the blue, "that she really was kidnapped?"

Kairi shrugged. "No way to tell, unless we find evidence."

"But who'd want to kidnap someone like Aerith? She's one of the kindest people we know!"

"Maybe…it has something to do with the Heartless? Remember, we were discussing it earlier. Something seemed off about the whole thing."

He mulled it over. "So, the Heartless were only a distraction? Just so they could kidnap Aerith?"

"It's just an idea…"

"But who would do that?"

"Well, I still think we can cross Maleficent off our list. If our thinking is correct, this doesn't suit her style. She's more of a manipulating type, compared to a kidnapper. I still think Organization XIII is behind this."

"The more we talk about it, the more I feel that you're right. Organization XIII are the kind who would do something like this."

"Well, we'll never know if we keep going at this rate. We've got nothing," she gestured around them, "Come on. It's almost time to meet back with the others."

When they arrived back at the command center, everyone was already waiting for them. From the looks on most of their faces, they had come up with nothing as well.

Leon folded his arms. "We haven't found any traces of her. She can't have just… vanished."

"She didn't just vanish," Rinoa interrupted, and everyone gave her their attention, "I went back to Aerith's building with Yuffie, and we asked around. Some kids who were in the area said they heard yelling from inside, and then a man in a black coat with dreadlocks and sideburns jumped out through the roof, carrying Aerith."

"A black coat!" Sora exclaimed, "It's Organization XIII!"

Kairi's eyebrows were raised. "Dreadlocks _and_ sideburns? I'll be happy when we're rid of this guy."

"Only problem is, where do we find him?" Leon muttered.

"It seems we need not look any further," Basch answered, looking in another direction. Everyone followed his gaze to the roof of the command center, and instantly their weapons were drawn.

Standing on the roof was the man Rinoa had described, a man in black Organization coat with sideburns and dreadlocks piled into a messy heap on his head. His loose dreadlocks were being blown about by the powerful wind surrounding him, keeping five of his six lances aloft around him. He held the last lance in one hand while the other was wrapped tightly around Aerith, who was looking incredibly uncomfortable.

Sora's grip on his Keyblade tightened. "You…Let Aerith go!"

"It seems our estimations of you were correct, Sora. Just a temperamental child…who needs to be taught a lesson!" With that, the gust of wind surrounding him shifted and two of the spears hanging near him hurtled towards the ground, directed at Sora. Yuffie knocked one off course with her shuriken and Sora blocked the other one. The two returned to their wielder's side. "I'm Number III, Xaldin, and if you want to make sure nothing… unpleasant happens to her, Keyblade Master," he continued, adjusting his hold on Aerith, "You'll hand yourself over in exchange."

Everyone hesitated, but Sora only got angrier. "That's unfair, using someone like Aerith as a hostage! Are you too afraid to fight me yourself?"

"A good fighter knows when he has a disadvantage," Xaldin explained, "Even I know I'm sorely outnumbered. I do plan to fight you, of course, but on more even terms."

Yuffie scowled. "That's cheap! You're just too chicken to deal with all of us!"

"That's exactly what he just said, Yuffie," Leon deadpanned.

Beside him, Rinoa looked uncomfortable. "I don't like the direction this is going in. Aerith doesn't look happy."

"Xaldin. Let her go, now!" Sora shouted, quickly losing his temper. "If you want to face me alone, fine, but don't drag my friends into this!"

Xaldin didn't seem to agree. He launched three lances, two of which Sora knocked back, the third deflected by Kairi.

Kairi shuffled closer to him. "Sora, something's wrong with Aerith."

"Huh?"

"Take a look."

Pressed uncomfortably by Xaldin side, Aerith looked almost pained. She was biting her lip and her eyes were shut tight, her fists white by her side. Her shoulders were raised as well, as if she was cringing.

Sora gripped his Keyblade tighter. "Xaldin! I was fine with fighting you by myself, but if you've hurt Aerith, then you're asking for it!"

Xaldin, however, seemed confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but if you continue to try my patience like this, I can assure you that something will happen to her," he snarled, yanking on Aerith roughly to pull her closer.

It was at that point, however, that Aerith seemed to reach her last straw. With her relatively free hands, she summoned a long staff and rammed the end into Xaldin's side. Xaldin lost his hold on her, stumbling backwards, and the wind around him died out, dropping all his lances to the rooftop around them. Aerith didn't relent; she turned, bringing her staff down on his head like an angry old lady with a broom. Xaldin tried his best to protect himself, but Aerith aimed for wherever he missed.

Xaldin jumped back, mustering up a gust to grab his lances, but the angry Aerith closed the distance and attacked again, causing the lances to one again clatter to the rooftop. Everyone could only stare in awe.

Yuffie shrugged. "That'll teach him not to assume that she's defenseless."

"Well, Aerith does have spunk," Rinoa mused, "I'll give her that."

Meanwhile, Xaldin seemed to be trying to reason with Aerith, but it wasn't working. "Wa-Ah! Y-Ow! Sto-Ugh! Shi-Gah! Fu-Ow!"

Hearing this, Leon moved and clapped his hands over Yuffie's ears. She scowled. "What's this for?"

"The last thing we need is for you to learn swear words. We'll never hear the end of it."

She tried to pry his hands away, but he held on tighter. "But Sora and Kairi are younger!"

"They're also much more responsible than you are," Leon replied flatly.

Above them, Aerith continued her attack. Xaldin ducked under one attack and grabbed a lance, hoping to defend himself with it, but it didn't deter her in the slightest.

Sora turned to Basch, nervously holding his Keyblade. "Are you sure we shouldn't…uh, do something? Like, help, maybe?"

"I would suggest not," Basch replied, his arms crossed, "It seems that he is the one who requires assistance at this time."

Aerith smacked Xaldin across the face with her staff and pulled back a step to readjust her grip. Xaldin snatched up another of his lances and tried to catch her off guard, but Aerith moved deftly, turning into another attack that rammed her staff right through the other side of his chest. It stopped him dead in his tracks, an astounded expression on his face. When Aerith pulled her staff back out, Xaldin dropped his arms to his sides, his lances clattering against to the rooftop. Darkness began to engulf him, shifting his dreadlocks into a ponytail, and he silently faded away, an angry grimace on his face.

Yuffie pouted. "That was anti-climactic."

"And a waste of time," Sora muttered, dismissing his Keyblade, "We didn't get a chance to ask him about the Organization or their headquarters."

"You'll get your chance, Sora. Just don't give up hope," Rinoa said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder before she followed the others to help Aerith off the roof.

"I guess," he sighed, turning to Kairi for her input. She looked distracted, however, staring off at the place where Xaldin had been standing. "Something on your mind?"

She didn't shift her gaze. "Sora, if something like that happened to me, would you try and rescue me too?"

He stared at her, taking in the intense emotion in her eyes before he blushed and replied, "I thought I had already proven that." She turned to him, curious. "I turned myself into a Heartless for you, Kairi. I thought that would be proof enough."

"You're right," she smiled, "That's more than enough proof. Thank you." Walking towards him, she pulled him into a hug. "I can always count on you, Sora."

Again, Sora was unprepared and stunned, but he managed to return the hug for a brief moment before they were called inside.

* * *

"So, where do you plan to go from here?" Leon asked the next morning as Sora and Kairi collected themselves. They had announced the night before that they were planning to continue their journey, and they were almost finished their preparations.

Sora shrugged. "No idea. There's no telling where Organization XIII could be hiding, so we'll have to take our chances and hope we get lucky. If not, we can clear out the Heartless and see if we can pick up some clues."

"It'll really depend on when the Star Shard takes us," Kairi commented, taking the object in question out of her bag, "Apparently, it will sometimes react and take its bearer where things are wrong. We'll just have to try it and see."

Aerith looked worried. "You'll be coming back, right?"

"Of course we will!" Sora answered enthusiastically.

Yuffie returned his enthusiasm, jumping up and down. "And we'll keep our ears peeled for anything on the Organization or Riku."

"Thanks, guys. We'll be back before you know it, and we'll have Riku with us."

"Don't push yourselves too hard, though," Rinoa cautioned, "or something will catch you off guard."

Kairi giggled. "That's why I'm here: so Sora doesn't burn himself out. Then again, he's always been the hyperactive one…"

Sora chuckled sheepishly before returning to business. "Ready to go?"

"You know it."

Reassuring their friends of their swift return, the pair waved their friends a quick goodbye and turned their concentration to the Star Shard. Sora stared at it, wondering what exactly to do. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke up. "Is it broken?"

"Of course not! Just… I've never used it like this. Usually, I've had a destination in mind and it's responded to that, but… now I'm not sure what to do."

He closed his eyes in thought. "Maybe the Keyblade will work?"

"And do what?"

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work."

Kairi looked skeptical, but she caved. "Fine," she sighed, "let's try it."

Nodding once, Sora summoned his Keyblade. Almost instantly, both his Keyblade and the Star Shard reacted, each glowing with a bright light. He squinted, trying to see through it, but it was too much for him to bear. There was a tingling sensation in both his hands, his stomach lurched, and they vanished from Radiant Garden.

* * *

In the prisons of The World That Never Was, Xion sat with her back to the bars of Riku's cell, her knees pulled up to her chest. She'd been visiting him for the past few days as her orders had dictated, but he continued to be unresponsive. She had tried everything she could think of, save anything that involved her going into the cell, but nothing had changed. The young man hadn't even blinked. Today, she had decided to try something different.

"I don't think you'd understand, but I'm not like the others. I've been given a rank and everything, but I'm still not really a member of Organization XIII. I'm not even a Nobody. None of the other members seem to want to have anything to do with me unless they're ordered to. Well, I guess you might be able to understand that. I mean, you're all alone down here. No one comes down here without orders. Even then, the only one who actually follows those kinds of orders is Roxas- I mean…XIII." She paused, adjusting her hold on her knees. "I've never left the castle, but someday, I hope to go on missions like the other members. Even if I don't like the mission, I'd do it just to see the other worlds. There's nothing here, just Nobodies and nothingness… and me. But, I'm rambling. I shouldn't really be complaining to you like this. I must be boring you to death, right?"

Xion smiled sheepishly over her shoulder and suddenly had to stifle a gasp. Underneath his mangled and unruly hair, Riku's eyes had shifted, turned in her direction. They were still unnaturally blank, but there was no mistaking where he was looking. Something in Xion's chest stabbed with pain and she got up, running out of the prison as fast as her unsteady legs could carry her. When she was a safe distance down the hall, she leaned up against the wall and slid into a sitting position, trying to catch her breath.

"Why? Why do I… feel like this? Why do I feel like… something different? What is this feeling in my chest… that changed me?" She looked back in the direction of the prison, clutching her chest. "Just what was that?"


	10. Kings of the Pumpkin Patch

_And here we are in the next world. One of my favorite. And it's already the tenth chapter! Thank you all for supporting me with your comments and attention! I don't think I could have gotten this far without them. On to the story!_

* * *

**Chapter 10 - Kings of the Pumpkin Patch**

* * *

Before Sora even opened his eyes, he could feel that the atmosphere had changed. The air swirled around him in a different fashion than it had at Radiant Garden, giving off a darker, more sinister feel. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a dark night with a full moon, a mangled black fence, and sloping black and purple hued hills.

Looking down at his clothes, he grinned. "I know where we are! This is Halloween Town!" His clothes had taken on their darker appearance, the same as they had been using Donald's magic, despite having different clothes. He turned to Kairi to judge her expression, and his jaw dropped.

Magic had transformed Kairi's clothes as well and, even by Halloween Town standards, she was beautiful. Now she was wearing a long crimson dress, nylon sleeves with spider web designs reaching past her wrists. She was wearing long black and white stripped socks and high-heeled black leather boots. Her long braid of hair had been undone, the wavy strands coiled into a pile on her head, white streaks running up the sides in a disorganized fashion.

While Sora could only stare in disbelief, Kairi looked herself over and scowled. "Of all things, it had to be this…"

"What's wrong with it?"

She turned the power of her glare on him. "If you haven't noticed, Sora, I'm wearing a dress. How am I expected to fight in a dress?"

He mulled it over in his mind, but he couldn't see a way around it. "Nothing we can do, I guess…"

"I guess…" She sighed, "I'll have to use my Keyblade, then."

"Why do you make it sound like it's a bad thing?"

"Well, truth be told, I'm not actually that good at wielding it. I haven't bothered to practice at all, since I'm more comfortable fighting with my fists."

Sora nodded understanding. "Well, there's never been a better time to practice. There'll probably be plenty of Heartless for you to whack at! Besides, I find that the best way to learn to use a Keyblade is to actually use… it…"

"Something wrong, Sora?"

He had trailed off when he saw a large black shadow hovering behind her, looming high over her head. Sheepishly, he pointed at it. "You… might want to turn around…"

Cocking her eyebrows in confusion, Kairi followed his gaze and turned around. The shadow didn't budge an inch, hovering behind her with its long spindly arms outstretched. Kairi let out a loud scream, but it trailed off when she was joined by wild laughter. The shadow jumped down from its high perch on the fence, something both of them had failed to notice, and reached up to its face with one skinny hand. Its black face came off, revealing a stark white one underneath.

Sora's face lit up excitedly. "Jack!"

"Sora!" the skeleton man smiled. He stepped politely around Kairi and lifted Sora up into the air, completing a spin before placing him back on his feet. "You're much heavier than before…"

Sora laughed sheepishly. "Well, it's been a while…" He turned back to Kairi. "Kairi, this is-" He began, but Jack placed a skeletal hand on his face.

"Hang on, Sora. I do my own introductions." Taking Kairi's hand, he bowed deeply to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kairi. I'm Jack Skellington," he paused for dramatic effect and looked up, an evil look on his face, "the Pumpkin King."

Kairi's expression was half-flattered and half-nervous. "I-it's… The pleasure is all mine… So, you're the ruler of Halloween Town?"

"Indeed I am," Jack said, straightening back up to his full height. "And what a wonderful time I've been having. Our last Halloween was truly a scream; it's too bad the two of you weren't here for it."

"So, nothing out of the ordinary has happened lately? No Oogie Boogie? Or Heartless?" Sora asked, looking around. "Or suspicious guys in black coats?"

Jack pondered it for a minute, tapping a finger against his chin. "Not at all. The Heartless left along with Oogie, and that sack of bugs hasn't come back. No suspicious black coats either, though they probably would have fit right in. Sally would have mentioned something if there had been. On the other hand, I wouldn't say nothing out of the ordinary has happened since your last visit."

"Now you've got me interested. What happened?"

"It was wonderful, Sora!" Jack responded enthusiastically, taking long strides and gesturing dramatically, "I met… Sandy Claws!"

Kairi blinked. "I think you mean Santa Claus."

"That's what I said: Sandy Claws. Well, Sandy and I got off to a rough start, but he helped me realize that my true passion lies with Halloween, and that no one can take my place at what I do best. Scaring people is my calling, my duty! I am the Pumpkin King. I couldn't stand it if someone tried to take over my job."

Sora leaned close to Kairi and whispered, "I can guess at what happened, and I'm absolutely sure that I don't like it."

Kairi giggled behind her hands. "Jack, who's Sally?"

"Oh, Sally? She's a very dear friend of mine. I'll admit that I'm not a very good judge of character and that I often act without my head on straight," he said, adjusting his head to make his point, "Sally is always behind me, pointing out my mistakes and giving me her opinions, which seem to always turn out right. I can always count on her."

"A comparison I can make to some other people," she grumbled, casting a meaning full look at Sora.

Sora didn't notice. "We were wondering if you could help us out, Jack. Have you heard anything about a group called Organization XIII? Anything at all?"

"I'm really sorry, but no. What are you looking for them for?"

"My friend is trouble and they know where he is, but no one is talking."

"Hmm." Jack folded his arms, deep in thought. "I wish I could help you, Sora, but I haven't heard anything. I don't know if it'll be much help, but you can stay here in Halloween Town for as long as you like. We'd be happy to have the two of you around!"

Kairi's pale complexion got visibly paler. "I don't know if it's mutual or not…"

"Thanks, Jack. It means a lot," Sora said, "Where is Sally, anyway? And Zero?"

"Sally should be with Dr. Finkelstein, helping him on his latest experiment. And Zero?" Jack held out his hand, and Zero appeared out of thin air, his white-sheeted appearance ripping as he moved. Kairi jumped in surprised, but Zero floated over to her and floated happily around her. "It seems that he likes you."

"I guess," Kairi muttered, looking like she was trying to fight the smile coming to her face.

Sora watched for a while Kairi and Zero warmed up to each other until they erupted into a mock game of tag. Kairi seemed to be continually losing, constantly tripping in her tight dress and unsteady boots. The sight of Kairi laughing and happy brought back fond memories of their islands, but it also reminded him that they still weren't complete and his concern for Riku grew.

'No time for thoughts like that now. Riku, just hold out until we can find you.'

"Jack," Sora asked, "do you know what kind of experiment Dr. Finkelstein is working on? Is it more heart experiments?"

"Not at all. It's… well, it would probably be better if you asked him to explain it. Besides, I'm sure Sally would be happy to see you again and meet your girlfriend."

Blushing, Sora was about to protest, but he was cut off by a loud explosion. It rocked the ground, causing an already unstable Kairi to fall flat on her behind. Zero circled her head and quivered. "What was that?"

Jack, who had only stumbled a bit, looked around for the source. "It seems to have come from town." Without waiting for anything, he ran off in that direction, where a large plume of black smoke could be seen rising into the air.

Kairi pushed herself uneasily to her feet. "Think we should follow him?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

* * *

When Sora and Kairi arrived in the town, Zero following swiftly behind them, they could see what exactly had happened. One of the buildings in town had been blasted apart, and from his mental map, Sora immediately recognized it as Dr. Finkelstein's lab. Together they rushed over to where Jack was standing, glancing around the rubble with a worried expression.

"Sally, Doctor? Are you there?" he asked, sounding like he wasn't sure if he wanted an answer or not.

"Over here, Jack," a soft voice replied, and Sally walked out from behind a large section of what used to be a wall, wheeling a very upset Dr. Finkelstein in his now mangled wheelchair. "We're alright."

"Alright?" Finkelstein screeched, "Alright? Have you seen the state of my laboratory? It will take _ages_ to get everything back up and running! That experiment was a failure!"

"Just what were you experimenting on, Doctor?" Sora asked.

Sally gave him a meek smile. "It's nice to see you again, Sora."

"You too, Sally."

"My experiment was a work of genius!" the Doctor explained, gesturing around with his arms, "and then this happened! I still can't seem to figure out what went wrong." He lifted his brain cap and scratched his fleshy pink brain matter. "In fact, nothing went wrong. I'm sure it was perfect."

Kairi cringed. "Does he do that often?" she whispered to Sora.

"Yes, he does. You tend to ignore it after a while."

"What were you trying to do with this experiment, Doctor?" Jack asked, easily traversing the rubble with his long legs.

Finkelstein mulled it over. "After this failure, it seems I can afford to tell you. I was trying to create the epitome of all evil, to make the most ruthless, dark, and deadly being who has ever roamed the universe. I was so close to it, too, when there was a strange reaction and it blew up in my face."

"I managed to pull the doctor behind a wall to shield him from the blast, but…" Sally trailed off, looking tense.

"Did something else happen?" Kairi asked, clambering over to them with Sora's help, Zero following them patiently.

She nodded. "I thought I saw someone in the smoke, standing where the blast had come from. I couldn't make out who it was, but they were… they had some sort of terrible presence…"

"Maybe the experiment worked?" Sora shrugged at Jack.

The Pumpkin King contemplated this. "That might be the case. Regardless, we can't have the doctor's experiment running around town. Sora, Kairi, will you help me?"

Both of them nodded their ascent and, with a quick thanks to Sally, they set off back towards the town square. Taking one last glance back, Sora gave Sally another smile and suddenly did a double-take. There was something moving in the shadows, sneaking dangerously close to where Sally and Dr. Finkelstein were.

He summoned his Keyblade and turned back. "Look out!"

* * *

Sitting up against a tree in the Hinterlands, Lock, Shock, and Barrel huddled together, discussing their last exploits and next plan of action.

"There hasn't been much mischief to cause since Oogie Boogie left," Lock muttered.

Shock smacked him in the back of the head. "Don't reflect on things like that, you nitwit! There isn't much mischief to cause because _we haven't thought of anything_! Oogie Boogie or no, nothing will happen if we don't _try something_!"

"I'm not a nitwit! Shut up!"

"Make me!"

"I will!"

Only Barrel, staring off into nowhere, noticed the other presence. "Um, guys?"

"Then we'll have a competition, you and me!" Lock declared, crossing his arms, "And whoever-"

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard! You're so unoriginal!"

"Guys?" Barrel called, shifting uncomfortably in his position as the presence got closer.

"Then you come up with something, smarty-pants!"

"_Guys_!"

"_What_?" Lock and Shock snapped together, but their fury turned to fear when they saw what Barrel was pointing at.

"Well, well," the voice said, dark and sly, "Look at what we have here. Three little children."

All at once, fear overtook them and all three of them tried to run, bolting in different directions. Before they could even get three feet, the man had all three of them in his arms, locking them against his chest.

"I don't have time for your shenanigans. Listen, and listen closely, because you won't want me to repeat myself. Now, I have a job for you, and I don't expect that you'll fail me. If you do, you won't have to worry about uses for your pitiful lives anymore…"

He broke out into quiet laughter, laughter of a madman that rumbled deep in his chest, and the three children knew they never had a choice to begin with.


	11. Mischief Mangled

**Chapter 11 - Mischief Mangled**

* * *

The strange creature Sora had seen ducked into the ground when he tried to attack it, causing Sora's Keyblade to glance off the ground and send him stumbling backwards. It moved around in a blue puddle as he scrambled back to his feet, changing direction sporadically. He watched it carefully as Jack ran back over, Kairi stumbling along behind him. Even Sally and Dr. Finkelstein wandered over to observe.

"What is it?" Kairi asked, watching the puddle roll around the empty area.

"I'm not sure," Sora muttered, following it with his eyes, "but it reminds me of a Shadow Heartless. I don't think it's a Heartless, though."

Eventually, the thing jumped back out of its puddle form and landed silently on its feet. It looked kind of like a Heartless, with Shadow-like antennae sticking out from its head. All of its features, however, were melded to its body, making it look more like a clay creature than a more humanoid Shadow. It moved similar to a Shadow as well, but in more of as hesitant manner as opposed to the Shadow's constant twitching. It also lacked the signature yellow Heartless eyes; its eyes were red with white outlines, arranged into peculiar shapes.

"I wonder…" Sora muttered, taking a step closer to the creature. Its head snapped in his direction, but it didn't move from its place.

Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sora, I don't think you should get near it. We have no clue what it is."

"Don't worry, Kairi. I'll be careful…" Slowly, Sora inched his way towards the creature, sliding along the last few steps. "It doesn't look anything like a Heartless. It… looks kind of squishy…"

In response, the creature stuck out its slender arm in a jabbing motion. It struck Sora's leg, causing him to recoil with a yelp of pain. He gripped his leg, jumping up and down as Kairi summoned her Keyblade and smacked the creature over the head. It vanished in a puff of dust.

"So much for it being squishy, huh?" Kairi said, raising an eyebrow. "How's it feel?"

Sora ran his hand over his shin. "Fine. It just stings a bit now. What was that thing?" he asked, turning to Jack.

Jack could only shrug. "I have no clue. I've never seen anything like that in Halloween Town before now."

"If you hadn't destroyed it, I could have conducted an experiment on it," Dr. Finkelstein grumbled, "_Then_ we would know what it was."

'But… you don't have a lab anymore…' Straightening up, Sora looked around. He saw some movement out of the corner of his eye and instantly rushed after it, back into the square.

"Sora, don't run so fast!" Kairi shouted after him, "I can't keep up that wa-ah!" Without asking for her consent, Jack lifted her into his arms and ran off after Sora.

Keyblade in hand, Sora looked around for whatever it was that he had seen, but it had vanished. He wandered out into the square, wondering for a moment if it was hiding somewhere. As he wandered over to the fountain in the middle of the square, another blue creature jumped out of the water and immediately melded into the ground. It raced quickly around the square, catching Jack's attention so much that he almost dropped Kairi. Finally, it seemed like it found its bearings and it headed out towards the Graveyard.

Chasing after it, the three caught up with it and Sora destroyed it, leaping over a tombstone to club it over the head. "That it?" he asked confidently, "I was hoping these things would be more of a challenge… or that there'd be more of them."

"Don't jinx it, Sora," Kairi said as Jack set her back on her feet.

A whooshing sound made all of them look up in time to see something orange come flying through the sky. It landed in front of them, blasting apart in a fair-sized explosion, knocking them over.

Scrambling to his feet, Sora glared in the direction the explosive had come from. "Lock, Shock, and Barrel!"

The three children, taking off their masks to glance at each other and laugh, sat at the top of a withered tree, resting on branches that looked too weak to support them.

"Who are they?" Kairi asked Jack.

Jack was scowling in their direction. "They're mischief makers. They've caused me plenty of trouble before now, and it doesn't look like they're about to change."

"What are you three up to this time?" Sora shouted.

"The usual!" Lock retorted.

"Making trouble!" the children chorused, throwing bombs in their direction.

They tried dodging and blocking the bomb, trying to make their way towards the tree, but there wasn't enough time. Eventually, they had to retreat out of the children's range. "This isn't working," Kairi grumbled, making sure to keep her dress away from the bomb fragments, "We can't get close enough to attack them, and even then, they're up a tree…"

"You know, I think the tree is the only problem. If they weren't up that tree, they wouldn't be able to cover themselves," Jack pointed out, tapping his chin with his bony fingers.

Sora pondered this for a moment. "Cover… range… tree…tree? That's it! The tree!" Hefting his Keyblade, Sora dove right into an explosion, rolling through it. He stopped in a crouch and pointed his Keyblade at the base of the tree. "Fire!" A ball of fire shot out from the tip of his Keyblade a second before he was knocked onto his back by an explosion. The fireball hit the bottom of the tree and instantly incinerated the old dry wood. Lock, Shock, and Barrel dropped unceremoniously to their backsides.

As all four picked themselves up, Sora shouted at Kairi and Jack. "Get them! Now!"

Hearing this, the three troublemakers began running around frantically. Jack and Kairi stood back, blasting fire at them as they dashed past. Sora joined them after a moment, whacking the nearest one with his Keyblade and firing off magic when he needed to change position. After an exhausting minute, the children regrouped, climbing another tree to resume their attack.

"We won't beat them if things keep going like this!" Kairi snapped, running out of their range as fast as she could.

"Try again!" Jack told her, barely audible over the sound of the explosions, "but focus on only one of them this time!"

Again, Sora tried to dodge into an explosion, but they were prepared, tossing an explosive at his face when he came up. He howled pain, falling on his back, but Kairi took the chance to light the tree with fire from her Keyblade. They toppled back to the ground and dashed around. This time, Jack and Kairi aimed their fire at Barrel, who took the attack head on and collapsed to the ground, grumbling and moaning in pain. Sora, his face blackened, jumped to his feet quick enough to nail Lock with a anger-fueled strike.

The remaining two climbed another tree, but their timing was so off that Jack didn't need to dodge around the blasts to flame the tree. Without any hesitation of restraint, Sora dove them as they dropped, knocking Lock into the pile of ashes. The only one left standing, Shock looked around frantically for an escape route, but there didn't seem to be one. Instead, she dashed away to hide behind a tombstone, but Kairi hit her in the back with a fireball, making her slide headfirst into the dirt.

Wiping the blackness off his face, Sora dismissed his Keyblade. "At least we're done with that. Those annoying little…" He trailed off, catching Kairi's angry expression.

"We should probably ask them what they were up to," she said, dusting off her dress, "Something about all this doesn't feel right."

Jack stepped up, holding Lock and Barrel in his hands. "I'll take them back to Dr. Finkelstein and Sally. We'll probably be able to figure out what they were up to."

"Sounds good," Sora nodded, "We'll clean up here and catch up with you soon."

As Jack walked off, Kairi raised an eyebrow at Sora. "Clean up?"

He shrugged and gestured towards the ashes of the trees. "I figure we shouldn't leave them like this. We should at least… bury them or something."

They set out to work, Sora digging a hole with his Keyblade while Kairi did her best to push the ash piles together. Halfway done, something sent a shiver up his spine and he glanced around. He didn't see anything, but the feeling persisted.

"A rather amusing sight I stumbled on to," a voice said, and Sora thought it sounded familiar.

Snapping his head in the direction of the voice, he didn't see anything, but he followed Kairi's gaze and found it. Someone was sitting on top of one of the giant tombstones, one arm draped across his knee, using the other as support. He was wearing a suit that Sora had seen before, one that Riku had worn while possessed by Ansem, except this one was red with a black cloth as opposed to Riku's blue and white. His face was hidden from view, a smooth black helmet covering his entire head.

"Who are you?" Sora asked, shifting his hold on his Keyblade.

The man chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down his spine. "An interesting question, one you really should know the answer to by now."

"What does that mean?"

He didn't answer immediately, jumping nimbly from his perch. "My name is Vanitas, but that's of little consolation to you. In fact, I have questions for you that will easily be solved in a very straightforward manner," he said and, holding one hand above his head, summoned a metallic, gear-like Keyblade and shifted into a battle stance Sora had seen Riku use, "A battle, to test your true strength."

Sora slid into a battle position and Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "Answer me!" he demanded, "Why are you dressed like that? Why is your stance like that?"

"Words are meaningless now. If you want an answer, you'll find it in our clashing blades," Vanitas answered.

Charging at him, Sora took a swing, but Vanitas back flipped out of the way. He continued attacking, catching the strange warrior as he landed back on his feet. Much to his surprise and excitement, Vanitas took the hits, grunting in pain. The last hit knocked Vanitas back a step and he froze, standing in an unnatural position for too long.

"Sora, up there!" Kairi shouted, and he turned soon enough to see Vanitas to dive down from above, his Keyblade slicing across Sora's front. Sora stumbled backwards, clutching his chest with his free hand. Vanitas moved to continue his assault, but Kairi's Keyblade struck him from behind. He whirled around to block the second and knocked her back a step as he turned her momentum against her.

Sora attacked Vanitas from one side and Kairi joined him on the other, locking Vanitas between their onslaughts. Vanitas was much faster they had expected, though; he blocked all of their attacks with his Keyblade, not one managing to slip past his defense. Suddenly Vanitas jumped back and, when his feet hit the ground, all of him slid into the ground.

"Where'd he go?" Kairi asked, looking around frantically.

"I don't know…" Sora muttered. He spotted something on the ground, a sparking red and black splotch, and reacted just as it slipped under Kairi's feet. Without warning her, he pushed her out of the way in time for Vanitas' strike to make another slice as he emerged from the ground. Sora gritted his teeth against the pain, watching as Vanitas slid back into the ground, moving with startling speed. Making a split second decision, he charged at the splotch. Vanitas reemerged a split second after Sora dodged over him, but instead of the strike he had expected, the enigma blasting him across the back with tendrils of dark lightning.

'If dark fire wasn't bad enough, its dark _lightning_ now?'

Vanitas landed back on the ground and Kairi shot a cast of blizzard magic at him. He back flipped out of the way, giving Sora enough time to get back to his feet and attack. Keyblade met Keyblade as Vanitas blocked the attacks, shifting their battle forwards and backwards to avoid Kairi's magic.

'He's much to skilled for us to handle. Kairi's doing her best, but she can't maneuver and it's causing too many problems. I can't keep covering both of us like this!'

As if sensing the turbulence in Sora's mind, Vanitas shifted an attack to push Sora's Keyblade up, swinging his block into an attack of his own. Pain flared like a roaring fire across his body, making him drop his Keyblade and collapse to the ground, clutching his chest. Kairi's attacks broke off as Vanitas stood over him, his Keyblade poised for a finishing blow. They remained in position, waiting for someone to move first and break the uncertainty in the air.

Finally, Vanitas chuckled. "Now, this isn't any fun. I thought you would entertain me more. I think… this would be more entertaining." He turned and strode calmly in Kairi's direction.

Sora tried to sit up, but the pain overpowered him and he collapsed back to the ground. "Kairi! Get out of here!"

Instead, Kairi stood her ground, ready to fight. Vanitas shifted back into his battle stance and attacked. She managed to block the first few attacks, but the force of her opponent's blows pushed her backwards until her back hit the filthy brick wall. When it did, Vanitas took her momentary lapse of concentration to knock her Keyblade out of her hands. Sora almost couldn't watch.

"_This is the end_!"

"_Kairi_!"

_BANG_.


	12. Empty Vanity, In Other Words

**Chapter 12 - _Empty Vanity_, In Other Words**

* * *

No one had expected what happened next.

When Vanitas knocked Kairi's Keyblade up and away, Kairi's arm stretched out with it. Before he could bring his Keyblade back down to strike, Kairi brought her hand back down, her palm unintentionally colliding with Vanitas' helmet. It let out a resounding 'bang' and Vanitas froze mid-swing. With a jerk and a growl, Vanitas' Keyblade vanished and he stumbled backwards, clutching his helmet. From his sitting position, Sora could make out swirls of light melding into the darkness of his helmet, parts of it melting and caving inwards. He caught a glance of a yellow eye and pale skin before darkness enveloped Vanitas and he disappeared.

The two Keyblade wielders stood frozen for a long moment before Sora chuckled sheepishly. "Di-did we win?"

Breaking out of her stupor, Kairi rushed over to his side. "Are you alright?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I was worried something might happen to you…" He dropped his gaze down and saw Kairi's hand. "What is _that_?"

Kairi lifted up her hand to examine it. There were scorch marks on her palm, the singed skin mixed in with what looked like the glossy material of Vanitas' helmet. She touched it with her fingers experimentally, but nothing happened. "Strange…" Grabbing lightly onto a piece, she began pulling. It came off in a plastic-like film.

"Whoa…" Sora blinked, and then remembered, "Kairi, how did you do that? You… just slapped him and he recoiled."

"It's hard to say," she mused, using a healing spell to lessen the pain of his injuries, "Ever since I joined with Naminé, I've had access to all kinds of abilities I don't understand. They might be powers that she had, or my powers that awakened when we joined… Either way, I didn't really do anything."

Pushing himself to his feet, Sora carefully stretched his sore arms. "Well then, it seems that's something else we can work on: getting you to understand those powers. For the looks if it, they might just come in handy."

As they finished cleaning themselves off, Jack came back. "It seems I missed out on the fun, didn't I?"

"I wouldn't say it was fun," Sora groaned, "Did Lock, Shock, and Barrel say anything?"

"They did. They say a man in a black helmet threatened them to attack us. According to them, he is 'pure evil incarnate'."

"So, that's probably the same guy who attacked us," Sora mumbled, and then explained to Jack what had happened with Vanitas.

Kairi was deep in thought. "Hold on… pure evil incarnate? Do you think…Vanitas could be Dr. Finkelstein's experiment?"

"If he is, then we're in big trouble." Sora scowled. "He's much too strong for us. Even worse, he's got a Keyblade and he knows how to use it. I've never fought anyone like him before..."

Jack nodded. "From the sound of it, I'd say you're right. This could be a problem…"

"Do you smell something burning?" Kairi asked suddenly, and Sora realized that he did. The scent was coming from behind them, off in the direction of the woods.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he mumbled before racing off in that direction, Jack and Kairi close behind him. The trees acted as a bit of a maze, but Sora zigzagged around them, following the smell until it led to a bright light. He skidded to a stop in front of it, watching the trees ahead of him burn. "What are we now, firefighters?"

When Jack and Kairi caught up to him, they grouped together and cast blizzard magic. It took far more time than he had expected but they managed to put them out, leaving the remnants of the trees coated in a thin layer of frost.

"Who would want to burn down all these trees?" Kairi asked, looking sadly at the destruction, "That's…"

Sora scowled. "It was probably Vanitas." When they looked at him in confusion, he continued. "I don't think he's gone yet. Something is telling me he's still around, waiting for us, drawing us in. This was just to lure us here."

"But what's out here?"

Jack walked towards one of the trees. "This is where I came across Sandy's Workshop. These trees are doorways to those places."

"There's more than one? So how do we know which one he used?" Kairi asked.

"Did they kids mention anything?" Sora asked, but Jack shrugged. He frowned. "Maybe… I'm not sure, but… maybe Vanitas knows me."

"Why do you think that?"

"There were times when I thought he was reading my mind, or he knew what I was going to do before I did it. I can't think of it, but I think Vanitas might go somewhere I would go," he sighed, "but I'm not sure."

Jack walked back to them. "And where would you go, Sora?"

"Well… to see Santa Claus, I guess."

"Then this is the way to go." Jack led them to the door. Most of the tree had been burnt down, but the door was still intact. In fact, of all the trees, it was the one that had sustained the last damage. The door creaked open and Sora stared into the blackness on the other side. With a shrug, he jumped in. Beyond the door was a tunnel that led forward like a ramp, leading them on until they reached the other end. Sora's feet collided with the door and he landed face first in the snow. Kairi landed on top of him and Jack landed on his feet behind them.

When Kairi was safely off of him, Sora got up and looked around. They were at the top of a hill lined with decorated Christmas trees. At the bottom of the hill was a small village decked out with Christmas lights of all colors, white smoke pouring out of the chimneys.

"So, why Christmas, Sora?" Kairi asked as they walked through the snow.

"Riku," he answered, "Since we came, I've really felt the impact of how worried I am. That, and Vanitas looks a lot like Riku when I fought…when I was forced to fight him." He stared off into the distance. "When we were little kids, Riku told me there was no Santa Claus. I was upset at first, but I believed him because he's my best friend. Even now…"

"We'll find him. Together."

"Yeah, together."

When they arrived in the village, what Sora had thought was smoking chimneys was actually smoking _buildings_, one ahead of them missing a huge section of its wall. The lights gave the smoke an eerie color, making look like a flowing cloud of blood. Sora shivered, and Kairi instinctively stood closer to him.

"That's Sandy's Workshop!" Jack pointed at the building with the broken wall.

Kairi groaned. "Just great. Vanitas attacked Santa."

"Then it's our job to go save him, right?" Sora grinned, summoning his Keyblade, "but we have to get Vanitas away from him and finish that guy off."

Nodding their agreement, the three of them entered Santa's Workshop through the hole. The inside, surprisingly, was untouched, bricks from the wall littering the floor. Santa was seated in a lift above the machinery, tied up on the lift's clear glass floor. Vanitas stood on the lift's railing, his back to his makeshift door.

"Well, well, welcome Sora. I've been waiting for you," he said, his voice thick with icy pleasure, "Very long. In fact, I was wondering what took you so long."

"Vanitas! Let Santa go!"

"Now, why would I do that? We were only going to talk…but then again, it would have been a one-sided conversation," he mused, lifting his Keyblade over his head.

"You…" Kairi glowered, "You battle-obsessed nimrod!"

"In a sense, that's a compliment," Vanitas turned around, maintaining his precarious balance with ease. Sora had no time to marvel at that, however. Vanitas was unmasked, and Sora was staring into a mirror, a distorted, darkness-tinted mirror. Under the mask, Vanitas had his spiky hair in a dark shade of black and pale skin that was almost whiter than Kairi's. His eyes were yellow with darkness and his face was fixed into an insane smile. "Do you see now? Why I was curious about our meeting? Now I see the answer for what it is… and I will eliminate you!"

Jumping from his perch, Vanitas dove at Sora, who charged at him. Their Keyblades met and deflected, sending Vanitas flying back. He landed on his feet on one of the assembly belts. Sora jumped up on the one closest to him, and their battle began.

Meanwhile, Kairi turned to Jack. "Let's get Santa down from there!" They both ran off to look for the controls.

Vanitas and Sora met over the middle belt, flipping and hopping between the outside two. Vanitas was more nimble, striking from above with swift, powerful blows. Sora was a hurricane of action, countering every one of his opponent's strikes with a glancing charge. Their attacks rolled off each other like angry waves in a storm against the shore. They were evenly matched.

One of their attacks caused them to meet in midair, repelling them with such force that they were sent flying backwards. Sora landed in a crouch on the wall next to the hole and used his momentum to push himself back, ignoring the strain it placed on his muscles. Across from him, Vanitas did the same and they met in midair. Their Keyblades clashed in their metallic clang before they both landed on the outside belts. Vanitas sent a blast of dark fire at him, but Sora jumped up to the top of one of the machines and leaped across to the next before diving at his enemy. Vanitas twisted out of the way, turning full circle to drive his Keyblade into Sora's retreating backside. Sora saw this and retaliated, stopping on a dime to spin around and block. However, his footing was off and the force of their attacks made him stumble.

'I can't keep up with him like this! Defense is worthless if my offence leaves me wide open! No choice…'

In the middle of his fall, Sora called on Valor Form, using the transformation to regain his balance. Their battle was kicked back into full force, their speed and strength equally balanced. As they fought, Sora tried to summon another Keyblade, hoping to disrupt the battle's flow, but the tingling sensation was all her got.

"Sora! Catch!" Kairi, from off to one side, summoned her Keyblade and tossed it to him. It flipped through the air and Sora jumped, catapulting himself over Vanitas to grab it. Vanitas rolled under him, managing to avoid being kicked by mere inches. They landed easily and began their attack.

With two Keyblades, Sora had the advantage and both warriors knew it. Every strike of Vanitas' was blocked by one of Sora's, and immediately followed up with an attack before their weapons were free. When Sora went on the offensive, Vanitas couldn't block both strikes at once, resorting to dodging out of the way, a tactic that didn't work too often.

Suddenly, Vanitas lashed out, slicing out at him. Sora managed to avoid it, stepping back enough that it only grazed his face. When Vanitas tried for a second strike, Sora blocked it and then brought down his second one, locking his enemy's Keyblade between his own. With a twist, the blade was torn from his grip, flying through the air and clattering to the floor on the other side of the belts. Before he could call it back, Sora attacked. First strike, second strike, and he was crouched behind Vanitas, both Keyblades extended outwards.

Much to his surprise, Vanitas laughed, a weak strangled laugh that told Sora he'd won. "I was right. That was very interesting…Very…good…" With one last dark laugh, Vanitas was consumed in darkness, the massive black cloud blocking him entirely from view. It surged up to the ceiling, rolling outwards like a geyser. When the darkness dissipated, all that was last was Vanitas' Keyblade and his undamaged helmet.

Sora went over to retrieve the items, walking cautiously along the conveyer belt. He picked up the Keyblade, but it dismissed itself before he could get a better look at it. Only the mask remained, and Sora felt his stomach turn when he saw his own reflection, looking like Vanitas on its glossy curved surface.

* * *

"Well, I must thank all three of you for such splendid work," Santa told them, standing outside his workshop, "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."

Sora laughed sheepishly. "Well, you probably wouldn't have been in trouble if it wasn't for us, so I don't really think you should be thanking us… My question is, what should I do with this?" he asked, holding Vanitas' helmet in his hands.

Almost as if hearing his query, the helmet began to glow, slowly vanishing into transparent sparkles until it was completely gone. Shrugging, Sora tucked his hands into his pockets.

"I believe it went to where it belongs," Santa smiled, "Now, I have to get to work on fixing this wall…"

It hit him quickly. "Um, Santa? Have you heard anything about Organization XIII? Anything at all?"

Santa stopped walking. "I'm sad to say, Sora, but no. I've heard of Organization XIII, but nothing else. But, don't worry. If Riku is your friend and you continue to believe in him and in yourself, you'll find him."

"Thank you, Santa…"

* * *

Jack had volunteered to help Santa fix his workshop, so Sora and Kairi headed back to Halloween Town. Along the way, walking through the trees, Sora shuffled his feet, hands behind his head.

"So, we struck out again, huh?" Kairi muttered, staring at the ground.

"We just have to keep looking. Someone, somewhere, will know. Until then, we just have to keep moving forward." He stopped. "So, think it's about high time we left?"

She sighed. "I guess. I'm… going to miss it."

"And you were the one who couldn't wait to leave!"

Kairi elbowed him and they both descended into laughter. Keyblade and Star Shard in hand, they left.

* * *

Axel leaned out over the railing, staring down into the black abyss under the floating castle. It was void of light and form, and the question of what was really down there remained unanswered.

"Drop something?" Roxas asked, joining him, "You look distracted by it."

He chuckled. "I wish I had dropped something. I wonder… if I drop a chakram down there, would I be able to see anything?"

"I think you'd lose it, and then you'd wish you hadn't even thought of it."

"Good point. So, how was work?"

Roxas shrugged. "Same old boring stuff. I could have done it blindfolded."

"Want to try it next time?" he asked, and they laughed.

Footsteps made them look up, and Roxas was serious again. "VI."

Axel leaned his back against the railing. "Morning, Zexy."

Zexion raised an eyebrow, the only one visible, the other hidden by his long blue fringe. "VIII, XIII. I would have guessed you'd have more productive things to do."

"Not all of us get important missions every day," Axel replied nonchalantly, "Speaking of which, how are things going? I heard the boss man placed you in charge of Xion. Isn't that Vexen's project?"

"Vexen has other things to attend to. I don't plan on questioning our Superior's orders over something so trivial," the man replied, walking off down the sloped walkway.

Roxas noticed something on the ground where Zexion had been standing. Tilting his head, he wondered what it was. "VI, you dropped that."

Zexion gave a quick glance of his shoulder. "It's not mine," he said, walking away.

Sharing a shrug, the two Nobodies walked over to examine the object. It looked like a helmet, its glossy black surface reflecting their curious faces. Roxas leaned over to pick it up, but Axel leaned on him, pressing the younger member's down to look over him. Roxas scowled halfheartedly, but they both stopped suddenly. In his hands, the helmet disappeared in a flash of light, the same kind of flash that Roxas summoned his Keyblades in. They both stood there and stared at his empty hands, confused.

A sly smile on his face, Roxas slipped out from under Axel's arms, causing the larger Nobody to lose his balance and fall flat on his face. Axel sat up, rubbing his face as they exchanged a glance.

They both laughed and, for that one moment in time, they both really meant it.


	13. Over the Sea

_People, listen up! I've been updating a lot recently, haven't I? So, if you're reading, please, please, _please_ review. That's all._

* * *

**Chapter 13 - Over the Sea**

* * *

When Sora opened his eyes, he was surrounded by trees. The smell of salt filled his nose. It was comforting, reminding him of home, but other smells joined it, ones he didn't recognize. Some of the smells were food, but most were decorated with spices he'd never encountered before.

"So, know where we are?" Kairi asked, looking happy to be back in her regular clothes.

"Actually, no. I have no clue where we are. Something about it seems familiar, but I've never been here before…"

"Great. Should we start looking around?"

"I guess…"

They started walking and Sora started wracking his brain. Something about this world was familiar, but he couldn't tell what it was. He knew the answer was there, but he felt like he was looking at it from the wrong perspective.

There was a rustling in the bushes behind them and they both jumped into battle stances, anticipating attack. Instead, a girl emerged from the foliage, one that Sora thought he recognized. She was wearing a blue dress, a matching ribbon in her vibrant red hair.

When she noticed them, her cautious expression turned into a smile. "Sora!" she shouted, rushing over and pulling him into an embrace.

It took a moment for his memories to match up. "Ariel? But… how did you…?"

Ariel continued, drowning out his words. "It's been so long! How have you been? Have things been going well? Where are Donald and Goofy?"

A loud sound made her stop and back up, laughing sheepishly. Sora looked over at Kairi, who still had her hand to her face after clearing her throat, looking severely annoyed. 'What's eating her?'

"Oh, um… introductions!" Sora coughed, "Kairi, this is Ariel. We fought Heartless together four years ago. Ariel, this is my friend Kairi."

Ariel politely held out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same," Kairi replied bluntly, returning the gesture rigidly.

"One thing…" Sora spoke up, and Ariel tilted her head questioningly. "Last time we met, weren't you a… a mermaid?"

"A what?" Kairi asked, looking between the two of them.

Ariel shook her head. "We shouldn't talk about it here. Let's go down to the beach and talk there."

Agreeing, Sora and Kairi followed Ariel through the trees. As they walked, Sora took a glance at Kairi. Her face was set in a cool expression and she walked with her arms folded across her chest. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was all right, but something told him it wasn't a good time.

The beach was a long expanse of white sand at the base of cave-dotted cliffs, the clear water lapping at its edges. Watching the push and pull of the tides reminded Sora of the Islands and for a moment, he felt homesick. 'It's been for years since I've been home… I wonder how everyone is doing… Are my parents okay? I left so quickly… they must be worried sick… Or… have they forgotten about me?' Shaking him head to dismiss the thoughts, he ran to catch up with the two women.

"Sora and I met four years when this world was invaded by Heartless. At the time, I was a mermaid. My father is King Triton, ruler of the sea. I wanted to leave my world, see what other worlds were like, and my father was against it," Ariel recounted, walking around in the sand as she explained the events to Kairi, "So, I cooperated with Ursula, the sea witch, believing she would help me. Instead, Ursula used me to get my father's Trident, the main source of his power. Thanks to Sora, Donald, and Goofy, Ursula was defeated and that was the end of that, but… it didn't change my life much. I see wanted to see what was beyond my world.

"About a year ago, there was a terrible storm and I came across a sinking ship. I saved one of the men off the boat and brought him here. When I got a good look at him, I didn't want to leave him. Something bad could have happened and… well, I guess I fell in love with him."

Beside him, Kairi seemed to relax, her serious expression changing into a more natural one. Sora mentally shrugged, making note to ask her about it later. Ariel continued her story.

"I wanted to find him again, be with him, but I couldn't. He was a human and I was a mermaid. Daddy could have changed that, but I knew he would say no if I asked, so… I went looking for Ursula," she said, hanging her head.

Sora was horrified. "Ursula! After what she did? Why did you do that?"

"I was desperate," Ariel muttered, sounded totally defeated. "She agreed to help me. I would have three days until sunset to get him to kiss me. If I couldn't, I was bound by a contract. However, she made me put down a payment: my voice. Everything went fine at first; I found him easily, he liked me, and by the end of the second day, we were so close to kissing. Ursula wouldn't let that happen. She cast a spell on him using my voice, tricking him into falling for a human version of herself. My time ran out, and Ursula took me back. Eric - that's his name - tried to save me, but it didn't work. Finally, my father took my place in the contract and Ursula took his Trident again."

"One-track mind…" Sora groaned with a shake of his head, "She never learned."

Ariel laughed. "Well, she did try the same thing. We fought back and Eric and I managed to stop her. I had to tell him the truth about what I was, but he said it didn't change his feelings for me. For a while I thought I was going to have to say goodbye, but my father cast some magic and here I am!"

Kairi nodded once. "And Eric?"

"We're married," Ariel smiled.

Sora almost lost his balance and fell down into the sand. "Already!" 'I knew she was a bit impulsive, but geez… that's fast.'

"Ariel, why were you sneaking around like that?" Kairi asked, "You looked like you didn't want to get caught."

"It's complicated. Over the last few days, strange things have been happening and Eric thinks it would be safer if I stayed at home. I… can't just sit around and do nothing!"

Recovering, Sora got serious. "What kind of strange things?"

Ariel looked out to the ocean. "Recently, boats have been sinking out at sea. Everyone who comes back says that they heard some strange music and then giant geysers came out of the water and attacked the boat. Not many people believe them, but now no one will risk going out. The people in the town are taking it hard. I tried asking my father about it, but he's in an uproar about it, swearing he'll take care of whoever is responsible himself. Eric has been busy trying to figure it out too, so I want to do something to help everyone out."

"Sora, do you think it could be…?" Kairi asked him, her eyes narrowing in the direction of the open waters.

"Could be…?"

Kairi shook her head. "We're looking for a group of bad guys called Organization XIII," she explained to Ariel, "From the sound of it, they might just be the ones causing this."

"Why do you think that?" Sora asked.

"The members of the Organization that we've met up to this point have used elemental powers; Larxene had electricity and Xaldin had wind. It would make sense to assume that one of them has waterpowers. Besides, there's no other explanation for water to behave like that."

Ariel nodded. "That sounds logical. But… why are you looking for such dangerous-sounding people?"

"They have a friend of ours captive. We're trying to hunt them down to find where they're keeping him," Sora answered.

"Then I'll do anything I can to help. I'll let Eric know, and he should be able to help you out as well. In the meantime, the two of you can come stay with us. It's the least we can do, especially if we're helping each other out."

"Thanks a lot, Ariel! We'd be happy to. We'll sort this out, just you watch!"

Kairi held up one hand for attention. "But won't you get in trouble?"

"I doubt it," she smiled, "Eric will be happy for the help, so I don't think he'll mind. Just as long as he doesn't find out about the other times…"

Ariel led them back to the town, walking ahead of them. Sora hung back to walk with Kairi, who seemed to have fallen back into her foul mood. She stared straight ahead of him, as though she was pretending he wasn't there.

"Do you really think it's the Organization?" he asked.

"I do. I'm starting to get a feeling for these things, and it feels like it's them."

"A feeling?"

"It's called intuition, Sora. Look it up."

Sora mulled it over for a moment. "I did something wrong, didn't I?" She grunted an affirmative. "Well, I can't do anything if you don't tell me. What did I do?"

"I thought I warranted more than just being a 'friend'," she muttered, picking up her pace to talk with Ariel, leaving Sora behind to sort things out.

* * *

Much to Sora's surprise, Eric was a prince, meaning that Ariel lived with him in a castle. It was elaborate and beautiful, but respectful, not contrasting too much in design from what little of the town they had seen. He couldn't help comparing it to the castle Hollow Bastion, mentally listing the differences between the two.

Eric himself was kind, enthusiastic, smart, and resourceful. He welcomed their help and told them he would do his best to gather together anything they would need. With him, they discussed their plan of action. To lure out their prey, they would go out to sea on a boat and wait. If their theory was correct, their enemy would attack them and they would be ready to fight him off. Hopefully, they would be able to capture him, and then Sora would know where the Organization's headquarters were.

That night, Sora sat on his borrowed bed, staring at the ceiling. A knock on his door made him look up. Kairi stood at the door, silhouetted by a light in the hallway.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked, one hand resting on the doorframe.

"Can't sleep?" he joked, "Or are you still mad at me?"

She came in and sat at the end of the bed. "About that… I'm sorry I acted that way earlier. It was stupid and self-centered of me. I've already apologized to Ariel and now I'm apologizing to you. I'm so sorry I acted like that."

"Apology accepted," he smiled, "Actually, I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't know it would upset you like that."

"There's no way you could have known that. It's entirely my fault. I won't let you accept any of the blame. You got that?" They shared a laugh, and Kairi lay back on the bed. "I just… I thought we were more than 'just friends'."

"We are, Kairi. It's… it's my fault you think that we aren't. I'm embarrassed to say, but things are moving a little too fast for me. I'm just not comfortable with openly telling other people that you… that you're… that you're…"

"Your girlfriend?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Are we? I haven't really had a chance to take you on a date…"

To his surprise, Kairi laughed. "Sora, you think I need you to? First, you're in charge of keeping the universe safe. I don't expect you to have time to take me on a date. Second, I feel like we're already dating."

"How so?"

"Aren't dates chances to spend time together and show how much you love each other? Well, that's what we're doing. We're spending almost all of our time together, traveling from world to world, seeing different things… Besides, what's a better way to prove you love someone than fighting life and death battles by their side? You certainly proved that when we fought Vanitas…"

Sora blushed. "I-I guess you have a point…"

"Sora, sorry if it seems like I'm rushing things."

"You don't have to apologize for that. I'm the one who should apologize. I'm the one who was sleeping for all that time. I should have been with you, working on our relationship like normal teenagers."

Kairi got to her feet, standing in the moonlight from his open windows. "You were sleeping all those years. I just loved you even more. I wouldn't have it any other way. Being normal is overrated. Besides, my boyfriend is the most amazing person in the universe. I have to be willing to make exceptions for such a spectacular catch." In one fluid movement, Kairi bounced to his side, leaned over, and placed a light kiss on his forehead. Sora was too stunned to even blink. By the time he had recovered slightly, Kairi was already at the door. "Goodnight Sora."

"Uh…Night," he managed. Giggling, Kairi left. It took a while for the rest of his mind to catch up. When it did, he sighed happily. "Maybe… rushing things isn't so bad…"


	14. Dance of the Water Nut

_Sorry if my updating is off. I've been working hard on this recently, but my PSP stopped working, so most of my motivation went out the window._

_On a brighter note, this chapter is dedicated to luvablenerd, for landing the 30th review, and having that awesome Demyx icon._

* * *

**Chapter 14 - Dance of the Water Nut**

* * *

Eric managed to round up a crew large enough to accommodate a decently sized ship. Most of the crew members were skeptics to rumors, but a few had been out before and were going to get undeniable proof of their claims. They waited a few days for a small storm to pass and then headed out.

Though he was tense, Sora couldn't help feeling somewhat relaxed by being out at sea. The gentle rocking of the boat on the water reminded him of sailing at home, though most of his company negated the effect.

"Enjoying the view?" Kairi asked, joining him at the railing.

"It's so peaceful. It's hard to believe that we'll be finding a member of the Organization out here. Part of me hopes we don't."

"Well, sometimes we have to disrupt a peaceful thing temporarily to get overall peace."

He sighed. "Maybe. I just wish things would stay the way they are sometimes."

"Like on the islands? Do you wish we could have just stayed there and that nothing changed? That we'd never come up with the idea to leave?"

"I… I'm not sure. I don't think I can answer either way. If we had stayed on the island, we wouldn't be in this mess. We wouldn't be facing the Organization, looking for Riku, or fighting Heartless. Somehow, though, it feels like leaving was all we could do. The worlds needed us to fight Heartless and the Organization would probably be tormenting someone else. I think that we're the only ones who could handle this, and that's why we're here."

Kairi smiled. "You're right. Besides, we were all getting restless. Knowing there were other worlds out there, it's not surprising that we were curious to explore them. It's like putting a kid in a room with a toy box; it's silly to think that they wouldn't play with it. We… just got too impatient."

"And look what happened. Your heart left your body and you were in danger that I didn't even know about. Riku turned to darkness and stayed behind the door. I became a Keyblade wielder and had to fight my best friend. On top of that, we've got our current situation to deal with…"

"It sounds like you're complaining when you phrase it like that."

Sora scowled. "I'm not complaining about any…"

Something caught his ears and he trailed off, straining to hear what it was. It sounded like music, but rough and choppy, as though the person playing couldn't decide what they wanted to hear. He tried to pinpoint the sound, the noise of the sea and of the people on the boat throwing off his accuracy. Wandering around, he strained his ears to listen.

'It seems so close, but it's everywhere! It's all around me, dropping down like some kind of blanket… Dropping? Wait… up!'

Looking up, Sora spotted what he was looking for. A large black mass was sitting on the yard, leaning up against the mast. Backing up, he focused and was able to make out more detail. It was a man with a strange mullet wearing a black Organization coat, strumming a large blue instrument that looked something like a guitar.

Kairi walked up beside him, following his gaze. "Look like we found our instrumentalist. Think we should call him down for a live performance?"

"Hey!" Sora shouted, making everyone stop what they were doing to stare at him, "It's about time you got down here!"

Above them, the man stopped playing and looked down. With a quick shrug, he swung his legs to one side and jumped down, landing nimbly on his feet. "That should be my line! I'm the one who was waiting for you! Don't you know it's rude to keep people waiting?"

"Um… sorry?"

"That's better! So, you're Sora and Kairi, right?"

Kairi almost stumbled, so startled. "You've been waiting for us and you're not even sure we're the right people?"

He laughed. "Ah, I guess I was. That was kind of silly of me, wasn't it? Oh, introductions! I'm Demyx, Organization XIII's number IX, the Melodious Nocturne. As you can see," he bowed, holding his instrument straight, "I'm a musician. This is my sitar, Arpeggio."

"The Melodious Nocturne? What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, staring at him incredulously.

"It's my title… Wait, you mean the others didn't use them? Aw man! Am I the only one who likes my title, or did the others not get a chance to use them?" Demyx shrugged. "That's pretty lame."

Kairi sighed. "Are you really a member of Organization XIII?"

"Of course! I just told you!"

"And they let people like you join?" Sora chuckled, "I think my opinion of them just dive-bombed. They sent someone like you to deal with us?"

He shrugged again. "Orders are orders, I guess. Really, I don't want to fight you. It's way too troublesome. I just want to play my music and everyone else yells at me for it. I wouldn't have accepted the mission otherwise."

"And what about the sinking ships?" Kairi asked, "Is that your doing?"

"Sinking… ships? Sinking ships, sinking ships… Ah! That! Whoops. Yeah, that's me. I guess I wasn't paying attention when I was playing. Ships are nice places to play, so I get carried away sometimes."

Hearing this, the members of the crew started backing away, inching towards the lifeboats. Demyx noticed this, hefting his sitar into playing position and strumming a loud cord. Water washed over the sides of the ship, drenching anyone who was trying to leave.

"Ah, ah, ah, no good!" he scolded, resting his sitar back on the deck, "Hold still or I'll beat you with a toaster."

'I doubt they even know what a toaster is…' Shaking the thought from his head, Sora summoned his Keyblade. "Whether or not you want to fight us, there's information I want and I doubt you're going to just straight out tell us."

Demyx chuckled. "The location of the Organization's headquarters, where we're keeping your friend? Yeah, obviously. My lips are sealed. Again, orders are orders."

"But why? What do you need Riku for anyway? And why are you trying to get rid of me? What exactly is the Organization planning?"

"Why are you asking me? How am I supposed to know? You said it yourself, they let someone like me join. You think they'd tell me something that important if they figure that I'm the type to let things slip?"

Kairi scowled. "That's a lie. If you're a member, you should know what your own organization is planning!"

"That… that's a good point," he mumbled, one hand on his chin, "Actually, I don't know. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention… Then again, our organization is a little weird…"

Sora snorted. "Not a very organized organization."

"Considering who our leader is, I'm not surprised," Demyx smiled, "A bit of a scatterbrain, if you ask me. More scatterbrained than I am sometimes!"

'Wait a second, their leader? The leader of Organization XIII? Maybe we can figure out their motives if we know who their leader is. This guy, however, doesn't seem like he'll tell us if we ask straight out.' "He's more scatterbrained that you? What kind of leader is that?" Sora bluffed, "How do the members expect a leader like that to lead them?"

"Well, he's leader for a reason. He trails off in his sentences and sometimes adds things he doesn't explain, but doesn't that help him fit into the mysterious leader stereotype? Besides, most of us don't know a thing about him. Personally, I've never seen his face and I've got no clue what his name is, let alone what kind of powers he… Wait a second…" Demyx's eyes narrowed, "You were tricking me! No fair! You have to forget what you heard!"

"Is that so?" Kairi gave him a smug smile. "It sounded like you wanted to tell us."

The Nobody mulled it over for a moment, tapping his foot on the deck. Finally, he snapped his fingers, swinging his sitar back into his grip. "You know, it doesn't really matter. I don't know much about him, so telling you wasn't a problem. It'll probably cause you more problems knowing than not knowing. It's another question on your mind, right? So I don't mind."

Sora glared as Demyx wandered off across the deck, strumming notes off on his sitar. "We're being had by a lazy good-for-nothing with horrible music."

There was an off-tune note and Sora looked up to see that Demyx had stopped, slowly resting his sitar on the deck. "Did I hear you correctly?" he asked in a low voice. "Did you just say… my music is horrible?"

Something about his voice made Sora cringe, and he noticed that the entire crew had long since abandoned ship. "A-and?"

Demyx's shoulders began shaking. "You can insult the Organization, you can insult me, but no one - and I mean _no one_ - gets away with _insulting my music_!" With one swift movement, the sitar was back in his grip. He began playing a song, something sad and tortured, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the sound of rushing water as a giant tidal wave rose up behind him.

"Now what?" Kairi yelled over the wave's deafening roar.

"Run!" he shouted back. Concentrating, he shifted into Wisdom Form and hoped silently that his idea worked. Grabbing Kairi's hand, he pulled her with him and jumped over the side just in time to avoid being obliterated along with the boat. As he had thought, he skated on the water's surface, pulling Kairi behind him like a water skier.

Kairi didn't seem to be enjoying the experience. "Sora, this is the craziest thing I've ever heard of! What in your right mind made you think of this?"

"I thought you liked life and death battles! Trust me on this!" he shouted back, "We'll be fine as long as I keep moving."

Behind them, Demyx was riding along on the water, the current forming a ridge that he stood on, strumming his baleful song. The water carried him up beside them and the song changed, the time shifting into something faster. In response, water cyclones burst out of his platform and shot at them. Sora skated frantically around them, tightening his grip on Kairi's hand. With his other hand, he shot fire from his Keyblade. Fire and water collided, creating a wall of steam that blinded them. More cyclones shot through the mist and almost managed to break his hold.

"Fire won't work against water," Kairi snapped, holding on to his arm with both hands, "It's putting us at a disadvantage!"

Sora felt his shoulder throb in pain. "It's hard to think and dodge at the same time! I'll keep working on it."

The song changed again and the cyclones stopped, giving them a moment to collect themselves. Looking ahead, Sora saw the water in front of him bulge and swell and he swerved in time to avoid the explosion of water, showing both of them. More of them sprouted up and he skated through them like a breeze through a minefield, weaving around them and making sharp turns when needed. Demyx followed behind them, laughing and skirting harmlessly through his own attack as he watched them.

Kairi held on with one hand, shooting fireballs from her Keyblade as the cyclones returned, reducing them to expanding clouds of smoke. "Why did you think fire would work against fire?" she asked, shouting as loud as she could manage.

Sora's arm and legs were on fire with pain. "I thought water counted as blizzard magic!"

"Not if he's using the ocean itself as a weapon it doesn't!"

"Try freezing it!"

"That's even worse!" she snapped, "We'd be giving him _more_ water to work with!"

"Well, think of something! I can't do this much longer!"

More water blast up in front of them and Sora turned it time to run into another blast. He twisted, swinging his arm at an awkward angle to pull Kairi ahead of him. She ran into another blast that sent her flying up and out of Sora's grip. Rolling his shoulder, he skated quickly over and caught Kairi in his arms, quickly picking up his previous speed.

"Is this really necessary!" she gasped, loud enough from him to hear.

He nodded firmly. "This is faster. Besides, we're getting close to the shore."

The white expanse of sand was quickly approaching, and Demyx kicked up the ferocity of his attack accordingly, switching his song to accommodate. Each note was long and powerful, representing a series of complex attacks that Sora had to maneuver around, ranging from cyclones to explosions to giant waves moving at impossible speeds. Sora avoided them masterfully, almost dancing across the water's surface.

A long cyclone of water shot up in front of him and Sora skated up it, sliding along its winding surface. Demyx's song changed pace again and the cyclone dropped, snapping back up to try to toss them off. Sora was prepared for it, casting wind magic to jump off its surface, using the momentum the water and wind produced to land back on the ocean's surface and skate off.

With another set of quick, sharp chords, the water chased them down, crashing in waves of spray that drenched them. Sora raced forward, sliding along the water as it grew shallower. Finally, he slid up onto the sand, skating up the side of the cliffs to slow himself down. He landed on the sand, drifting to the side as he placed Kairi back on her feet. Demyx rode his wave onto the beach, the water drawn back into the ocean, and the battle continued.


	15. Gloria Musica

**Chapter 15 - _Gloria Musica_**

* * *

Demyx had a smile on his face, running his gloved hand down the strings on his sitar. "Though I don't like fighting, this is actually fun! I've never had a chance to use my powers this much before. It's a good exercise."

Sora slowly took a step back, holding his throbbing shoulder. Beside him, Kairi had dismissed her Keyblade and was standing in a battle position, glaring their opponent down. 'We can't do much of anything right now. I've used up too much energy. If I get out of Wisdom Form now, I won't be able to use any Drive Forms. Kairi and I have to fight him as we are. I just hope this injury doesn't slow me down.'

"What now?" Kairi whispered, keeping her eyes on Demyx.

"We have to get him away from the water. If we can separate him from it, we can probably win."

"Not so," Demyx interrupted, both of them turning to stare, "There's really no way to separate me from water. Water is everywhere: in the ground, in the air, inside you. I can control water wherever I want! So, that plan is out, isn't it?"

Kairi scowled. "We're not discussing our plans with you."

"Whoa, tone down the hostility there. I was only trying to help."

"Help us think of a plan to defeat you?" Sora asked, "That's crazy."

"Well, it is, but it's also much more fun. It's one of those things, you know? You just kinda feel like doing something stupid… and it's _awesome_." He chuckled. "Since I'm just along for the ride, might as well go out with a bang."

"'Just along for the ride'? You're not worried about dying?"

"Don't you know? I'm not alive to begin with. Nobodies aren't alive. Same can be said about Heartless, I guess, but I'm not getting into an ethical debate over it. Anyway, since we don't have hearts, we're not complete people, so we're not alive. If we were alive, I'd be concerned for my existence, but if my non-existence is threatened, I can't say that I care. I'm pretty much already dead to begin with."

Kairi cringed. "That's…morbid of you…"

"Not really. Non-existence is like riding a train without paying. Ending that non-existence is like being caught and getting kicked off. There's really nothing you can do about it, other than hope you don't get caught too quickly. It's about doing as much as you can before you can't do any more."

'Is… is that how he sees it? That his life-er… non-existence… isn't worth anything? That's… too sad. How does nothing matter to this guy?' Sora gripped his shoulder tighter, ignoring the swell of pain. "That's… just not right."

Demyx scowled. "There I go, losing sight of the point again! We were battling, weren't we? Are you ready?"

Sora readied his Keyblade, but Kairi placed her hand on it. "You can't. You're too injured. Leave the fighting to me."

"But-!"

"You can join me when you're ready," she interrupted, throwing him a confident smile, "I'll be fine on my own. I'm not a helpless little girl."

He shook her off. "I know you're not, but you're not doing this alone. We agreed that we're doing this together!"

"I know that, but injuries will only get in the way! Rest for a few minutes, that's all!"

"I won't!"

"Stop being so stubborn! Think logically for once!"

"You're the one being stubborn!"

Demyx held up one hand. "Now, now, couples shouldn't fight…"

They both rounded on him. "_Stay out of this_!"

"Yikes!" he jumped, "Alright, alright. Finish up; I'll wait."

"That's not something you should be doing," Kairi muttered, "It's not very villain-like."

"It's not? You're right, it's not. I should be more villainy, then?"

Sora waved his Keyblade. "Well, we are trying to save the worlds, so you guys would technically be the villains."

Demyx seemed to mull this over, lightly tapping his chin. Suddenly, he smiled and strummed a loud chord on his sitar, making a giant pillar of water shoot up between Sora and Kairi, forcing them apart. "I couldn't agree more!"

Sora stumbled, regaining his footing, and looked at the ground where the geyser had appeared. There wasn't a single marking in the sand. 'How…?'

"I can generate water out of nothing!" Demyx cackled, playing more chords that made a wall of water pillars appear behind him, "If you think separating me from water is a plan, then you're sorely mistaken!"

Readying his Keyblade, Sora shot a fireball at him. To his surprise, Demyx jumped and water pillars rose up behind him, pushing him forward through the air. He landed behind Sora and the pillars knocked the Keyblade wielder up. Swinging his legs, Sora landed on his feet and slid out of the way, narrowly avoiding another water wall.

Kairi, on the other hand, didn't dodge. Instead, she faced the pillar down and when Demyx landed, she charged at him. He raised a wall of water pillars but she punched right through it narrowly missing his face. Changing to another chord, spheres of water appeared above him and launched themselves at her. Kairi punched through one and kicked another, but the last three nailed her, knocking her backwards into the surf.

Sora jumped at Demyx from behind, bringing his Keyblade down at the Nobody's head, but another pillar wall knocked him back. He righted himself in midair and shot a blizzard spell at him, freezing his hands to his sitar. Demyx shrugged it off, the ice instantly converting into water that lashed out and whipped him, slamming Sora against the cliff. He slid back to the beach, slipping and sliding as he tried to get back to his feet. A wave of water rushed up under him, pushing him up and over Demyx, dropping him into the surf with Kairi.

'Fire doesn't work. Blizzard doesn't work either. That leaves… wait… he's water! Why didn't I think of this earlier!' Sora lightly nudged Kairi. "I have a plan."

"About time," she grumbled, shaking her wet fists, "What is it?"

"Follow my lead," was his only reply.

Demyx continued playing his sitar, strumming away as though he was oblivious to the battle he was taking part in. Sora skated forward, feinting around Demyx's water pillars. Kairi ran up on the musician's other side and did the same, sliding around in the sand as she dodged. Both held their Keyblades ready, adjusting their grip at every turn.

Wall after wall rose and fell, battering away at them as they tried to work their way in closer to their enemy. Slowly and steadily it worked, Demyx drawing the water in closer to himself as the battle draw on. Within minutes, however, Kairi was gasping for air and Sora could feel his magical reserves running dry.

'It has to be now!' "Kairi! Now!" Sora spun in a circle as he moved, pulling himself into as much of a stop as he could manage. Kairi skidded to a halt across from him, Demyx between them. They held their Keyblades up, concentrating as much magic as they could muster.

"It won't do you any good! Fire is put out and blizzard is useless! You can't fight against water with-" Demyx began, summoning up a circle of water pillars around him, but Sora and Kairi calling out their attack in unison cut him off.

"_Thunder_!"

Two bolts of yellow electricity shot out of nowhere and struck Demyx and his water barrier, the current carried along by the superconductive substance. The light that followed was blinding, bright enough that Sora had to cover his eyes, hiding his face behind his arm.

When the light died down, Demyx was still standing, staring up at the sky with a goofy expression. His body was steaming and his visible skin was pink in places and grey in others. Long burns marked his black coat. Only his sitar seemed unharmed, but on closer inspection, the strings had snapped, curling up the neck in warped swirls.

There was a strangled sound coming from Demyx, a cross between a strangled whine and labored breathing. The sound got louder and Sora realized that he was laughing, sheepish and exhausted. Finally, the laughter died down and he let out a long sigh. "Ow." Darkness swirled up around Demyx, radiating off him.

Sora reverted out of Wisdom Form, all his magic exhausted, and rushed over to Demyx. 'If he's gone, I won't get any information! I have to ask him about the Organization and where they're keeping Riku.' He grabbed the collar of Demyx's coat, ignoring the painful darkness that whipped at his hands. "Where is it? Where is Organization XIII's headquarters? Tell me!"

Demyx only laughed, sounding more and more as if he was losing what little sanity he had left. He shook his head, closing his eyes wearily. More darkness overtook him and his appearance changed, dropping him down to Sora's height, his hair growing longer and shaggier.

"You won't tell me?" Sora asked in disbelief, "Even now, you won't betray the Organization? Why not?"

Raising one hand, Demyx ran his fingers through his hair, seeming to push it into something more manageable. His hold on his sitar loosened and he dropped it to the ground, where it disappeared into a puddle. He gave Sora a big goofy smile before the darkness engulfed him, forcing Sora to back off. When the darkness cleared, there was nothing left.

Dismissing her Keyblade, Kairi ran to his side. "Sora…"

Sora dropped to his knees in the sand, pounding a dent in its surface with his fist. "We had a chance and we lost it! We were so close! Why did this have to happen? Why can't we get any closer than this?"

"We have to try," she said, kneeling beside him.

"We _have_ tried, and we haven't gotten any closer!"

She sighed. "We just have to keep trying, Sora. We're not going to get anywhere if we get frustrated by every lost chance. We've wasted time, far too much of it, and now we have to make up for it; I understand that. Just… we have to stay strong. We have to keep going forward if we're going to make any progress. Don't act like we don't have any more chances." Her voice dropped into a low whisper. "We may have to take on the entire Organization to do it, but we'll do it."

Sora sniffled, wiping his eyes to remove the stinging unshed tears. "You're right. We'll have other chances. There are thirteen members in Organization XIII, aren't there? Three down, ten to go, and one of them will give us our lead."

* * *

Two days later, after clearing up the problems Demyx had caused, restocking their supplies, and getting a fair amount of rest, Sora and Kairi headed out to the beach. They had already thanked Ariel and Eric for their hospitality and said their goodbyes, and they were finally ready to leave.

"It was good that we ended up here," Sora smiled, looking out at the water, "I'm glad we got to see Ariel."

Kairi shuffled her feet. "Sora, I was thinking…"

"Hmm? Something wrong?"

"Not wrong, but… we've ended up on worlds you've been to, and the only lead we came up with was Vincent."

"Yeah. And?"

"I just don't think we're going to find anything on worlds you've been to. If we want to do serious looking, we have to look in darker places, places where rumors and unverified information gathers. We may have break some rules, but I get the feeling that it's how Vincent came by his info."

Sora mulled it over. "Darker places…" He paled. "Y-you mean… around criminals and stuff like that?"

"I don't like the sound of it either, but those kind of people are what we need. If you want to catch a criminal, think like a criminal. We may just find some people whose business is snooping about and they may have something to tell."

"I wouldn't trust people like that if I had a choice. They're only out to take advantage of who they can for themselves… But we haven't been given a choice, have we? Alright. Let's try it out."

Star Shard and Keyblade came together and they were off.

* * *

Xion sat in her usual place in the prison, her back to Riku's cell. He voice echoed off the too-smooth walls, making her sound hollow and small.

"I don't like it in here. It's… oppressive. I feel like I'm being stared at. I like coming here to visit you, though. I know it's strange, but your presence is comforting. I don't exactly know why. Maybe it's because we both have hearts. I can't relate to any of the other members because of that. It's very lonely…"

"Xion…"

She jumped to her feet, looking around for the speaker. "Y-yes? I'm here."

When there was no reply, she turned around, thinking to ask Riku if he knew who it was, though she didn't think she would get a reply. Looking into the cell, however, she jumped again. Riku's head was tilted to the side, facing her, his eyes a little less distant than the first time she had spoken to him. 'Am I… getting through to him?' She opened her mouth to ask him, but the sound of footsteps made her stand up straighter.

Roxas strode in, his blond hair bouncing with his movement, his coat billowing behind him. He stopped in front of the cell. "Well, I see you're looking lively today."

To their surprise, Riku moved, his head shifting against the wall so that he was looking up. He didn't move other than that.

"Uh, XIII, c-can I help you?" Xion asked nervously. Roxas' very presence brought a thick coating to the atmosphere, tension like molasses.

He smiled smugly. "I just came to give the prisoner some good news. We failed to receive a report from IX. V was sent to assess the situation and found clear signs that he'd been defeated by a couple of Keyblade wielders." He leaned closer to the cell bars. "You know who that is, don't you?"

Xion felt her heart skip a beat. "Demyx was…" 'Demyx has been so nice to me since I came here. How could he…?'

Roxas chuckled darkly. "Yes, your dear friends are coming for you. You're probably relieved by that, aren't you?" He turned to leave and Xion turned to watch him.

"Very."

Both Organization members did a double take. Xion turned faster, quick enough to see a smug smile disappearing from Riku's face, his eyes hidden by his hair. By the time Roxas completed his turn, Riku's eyes were closed and his breathing slowed into sleep.

A deep growling resonating in his throat, Roxas kicked the cell bars hard enough to bend them. "I hope you rot! Rot in here the rest of your miserable existence! Pray that your friends don't find their way here, because I'll finish them both!" With another glare, he stormed out.

Xion held her hands to her chest, staring off after him. "I'm sorry," she whispered, talking to Riku though she couldn't bear to look at him, "It's just… Demyx didn't deserve that. I'm sorry."

Shaking her head, she took off, running as fast as her legs could carry her through the castle. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going, but she ended up where she wanted to go; Proof of Existence. It was a graveyard of remembrance for the Organization, where only she and the Superior did not warrant a grave. Most of the graves radiated blue glows, but three were red. Larxene's and Xaldin's had been like that for a while, but now Demyx's had joined them. Xion cringed. "So, it's true…" she breathed.

"XIV, why are you here?" a voice asked seemingly out of nowhere, and Xion spun around to see Zexion behind her, his footsteps utterly silent.

"Ah, VI, I…" she gasped, "E-excuse me!"

Unable to stand the pressure, Xion dashed off, oblivious as Zexion's narrowed gaze followed her out.


	16. Long Tales of Zombie Pirates

**Chapter 16 - Long Tales of Zombie Pirates**

* * *

Sora cringed when the sound of water lapping against the rocks reached his ears. "Didn't we just leave a beach?" he grumbled. Kairi grabbed his arm and he opened his eyes, looking at the tense expression on her face. "Something wrong, Kairi?"

She didn't blink, staring straight down. "Sora, whatever you do, _don't step forward_."

Following her gaze, Sora's head swam and he almost lost his balance. In the dark below them was a straight drop down into the ocean, a set of forbiddingly sharp rocks at the bottom. Gulping nervously, Sora checked to make sure there was a flat surface behind them and backed off the ledge, helping Kairi down with him. He looked around, trying to discern where they were from their surroundings.

"I think it worked. I've never been here before and this time I'm positive."

"Good, because I'm getting a bad feeling about this place and Halloween Town is nothing compared to this." She shivered. "Let's get down from here and see if there's anyone around."

The cliff mounted building had a long set of brick stairs leading down into a town, which Kairi had pointed out from their high vantage point. Palm trees lined the dirt path and they ended up in a clearing, crates lining one side that led down to a dock. In the middle of the clearing was a hoard of odd pink abominations, wobbling and wiggling unnaturally. They were surrounding a man and a woman, both of them back-to-back and tense.

"This is a right mess we've gotten into," she muttered.

The man cleared his throat. "I assure you, lass, this could be worse."

Kairi turned to Sora. "Fight?"

"Of course. Let's go!"

Together, they charged at opposite sides of the circle, taking the creatures' attention off their captives. Sora swung his Keyblade, cutting down three, but another one slid into their place. It looked like an overly large pink coat, clutching a pair of dice in its hand. He didn't take any more time to observe it, slicing at it sideways, but its upper and lower halves separated and his strike went right through.

Kairi was having much better luck. Her punches and kicks would sometimes be avoided when the creatures split, but she followed through with her attacks when they did, cutting down enemy after enemy. As a result, her actions were smoother than Sora's and she took out most of the creatures.

When the last one had been defeated, they went to check on the two people that had been attacked. The woman had long blond hair, wavy and coated in dirt, and a long gold and cream dress that she wore with the grace of a princess. Her companion was much scruffier, wearing a filthy pair of pants and a dress shirt, accentuated with a dark vest, leather belts and a tattered white sash. He had a red bandana tied around his hair, scraggly brown hair poking out from under it. A scabbard was strapped to this waist and, at the defeat of the monsters, he returned his sword to it.

"Well then, problem solved?" he asked.

The woman scowled at him. "With no thanks to you." She smiled at Sora and Kairi. "Thank you very much for saving us. My name is Elizabeth Swan, and this," she looked angrily in the man's direction, "is Jack Sparrow."

"_Captain_ Jack Sparrow, if you don't mind."

"Well, _Captain_, I believe you should be thanking them. They did save your life."

Jack looked them over for a minute. "A strange lot, aren't you?"

Kairi chuckled. "You could say that. I'm Kairi, and this is Sora."

"Hey. Do you have any idea what those things were? From the looks of it, they don't belong here," Sora looked around, "I think pink clashes with the landscape."

"I believe it does," Elizabeth laughed, "I have no idea what those things were, but they attacked us out of nowhere when we were heading towards the dock…" She gasped. "The dock! How could I forget?" She turned back to Jack. "I need your assistance."

"Hold on there, lass. You haven't explained what you need me for. Even then, my services are not without payment…"

She cringed. "A reward, then? Fine. We'll discuss it afterwards. Right now, we need to rescue Will. He went to Isla de Muerta to check on the treasure, but he hasn't come back, and these things started appearing after he left…"

"Whoa, hold one there," Sora interrupted, "Back it up a bit there. Mind filling us in? We're experts at dealing with those kinds of creatures, so we might be able to help out."

Elizabeth nodded. "Not too long ago, a group of pirates came and attacked this town. They were seeking a piece of Aztec treasure, a single gold coin, and the person in possession of it. That person happened to be me. The pirates kidnapped me, thinking I was someone else, and took me to Isla de Muerta, where the rest of the treasure was kept. These pirates were under the curse of the treasure, not dead but not alive. They needed the blood of one of their crewmembers to break the curse or, in his absence, the blood of his line. I had lied and given them Will's name, and he was the one whose blood they needed. Jack helped us break the curse, if only because they had stolen his ship."

"Not much of a captain without my ship," he added.

"That was not too long ago. Since then, nothing has happened and we've heard no more of those pirates, but Will suspected something and said he was going to Isla de Muerta to make sure the treasure was safe. It's only since he left that those creatures started appearing."

"From the sound of it, he was right to be cautious," Kairi muttered, "Someone might be after the treasure and they might also be the one controlling those creatures."

"Far too many 'might's for my liking," Sora grumbled. "I agree with Elizabeth. We should go check it out for ourselves."

"And for that, we'll need a ship," Elizabeth continued, turning to Jack.

The Captain mulled it over for a few minutes. "For a fair reward, of course."

"Of course. It's settled."

* * *

Jack's ship, _The Black Pearl_, was a large wooden ship meant to be manned by twenty or thirty people, but they managed to navigate with four. The ship itself was constructed out of a very dark brown wood, made darker by years of sea and grime, topped off with a set of stable yet tattered black sails. Though the thought that pirates sailed it weighed heavily on his mind, Sora was enthusiastic at the sight of such a large vessel.

"We never had anything like this on the islands," he mentioned to Kairi once they were on their way, "I feel so small standing here."

Kairi smiled. "I feel small thinking about how large this world must be ships this size are the best method of travel."

"If you put it that way, the universe must be pretty big. If it holds all these worlds, and even worlds we haven't been to, it's probably bigger than I thought."

"Sora, I've been thinking…"

He cringed. "I'm starting to not like when you say that. It usually means I'm about to hear something I'd rather not hear, or something I should have been told earlier."

"Actually, I did mention it earlier. Remember how I told you about my conversation with Riku? He said that each member of Organization XIII controls a group of lesser Nobodies. I've never encountered the lesser Nobodies before, but His Majesty told me they look like animated clothes and that they move in strange ways, exactly like those things that attacked Elizabeth and Jack."

"You think those things were Nobodies? But that means-"

"A member of Organization XIII might be here, yes. I don't want to say it's for sure, but it's absolute, but there's a chance."

Sora felt a smile come to his face. "We're another step closer."

"Maybe. But there's another thing. The Organization is a very strict group from the looks of it. Even Demyx wouldn't spill their location, and he's a blabbermouth. I'm starting to wonder if confronting the members themselves is a wasted action."

"It might be, but we don't have any other options at the moment. The members are the only link we have."

Kairi opened her mouth to reply, but she stopped as she looked over Sora's shoulder. "Um, Jack," she called out, "Am I the only one who sees a ship out there?"

Startled, Sora turned around. There was a light fog, but he could make out the shape of a ship coming towards them, white sails faintly outlined against the translucent grey. "Well, blow me down…"

"Clever mate, isn't he?" Jack muttered sarcastically, and Kairi chuckled.

"It's the _Interceptor_!" Elizabeth said, joining them at the railing, "It's the ship Will borrowed when he left!"

Sora nodded. "Then we better check it out."

They managed to pull up alongside the _Interceptor_, adjusting their course to keep in line with the other ship's path. Sora stood on the railing as the ships knocked hulls, looking over into the other vessel. Something seemed off about the deck and, on closer inspection, he saw someone lying on the deck.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, jumping across to the other ship. The man didn't reply. "I think we're gonna need some help over here!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Jack, Kairi, and Elizabeth joined him on the _Interceptor_ and they crowded around the man. He was a man with dark brown hair, a thin moustache and beard, wearing a white shirt, brown vest and brown pants.

Elizabeth gasped. "Will!"

Kairi knelt by his side, looking him over. "I found a stretcher in the hold. Elizabeth, would you mind getting it for me?"

"Sure." She clambered back over to the other ship and disappeared from sight.

Sora watched her off before turning back to his friend. "How is he?"

"Not too bad. A bit of a bump on the back of his head, but all it did was knock him out. He'll be fine as long as he gets some rest."

"That's good. It's a good thing we found him when we did. Problem solved, huh Captain?"

"It raises the other question. If the ship was set adrift, the currents would have carried it in the other direction," Jack looked down at them, "In that case, someone had to be steering the ship. The question is, who could that be? Not him," he indicated Will, "That's for sure."

"You're certainly right," another voice interrupted.

Sora jumped to his feet, Keyblade in hand. Standing on the deck of the _Black Pearl_ was a member of Organization XIII, the hood of his black coat pulled up to conceal his face. Though his face was obscured, Sora could feel his gaze mapping over them, lingering on the Keyblade. Kairi carefully placed Will back on the deck, and Jack drew his sword.

"Organization XIII! You're the one behind this?" Sora snapped.

The man shrugged. "What better way to call upon the Keyblade Master? I've heard that you have an affliction for helping people, so I took a gamble and it looks like I was right on the mark."

"Then those are your Nobodies?" Kairi asked.

"Correct, but your only getting lucky. You luck isn't going to hold out too much longer."

Sora hefted his Keyblade. "Why don't you take off your hood and introduce yourself? That way I'll know who I'm clobbering."

"I don't see a need to do that. Besides, in a moment it won't matter. You'll no longer be a thorn in the Organization's side." He raised his hand over his head.

Kairi stepped forward. "Hold on! This man is injured. He needs medical attention."

"That bluff won't work on me, Princess. You've played the wrong cards. I overheard you earlier and know that he's fine. Also, you seem to forget that I'm a Nobody. I no longer have a heart. I care nothing for the welfare of others. Especially not yours." "He brought down his hand in one swift motion. "_Fire_!"

The cannons on the side of the _Black Pearl_ fired and the _Interceptor_ shook violently. Sora managed to keep his balance, but Kairi and Jack went tumbling onto their backsides. He tried to take a step towards the attacking ship, but another round of cannonballs slammed into their ship and he fell flat on his face, smacking his forehead against the wood. The ship groaned and Sora stood up again, fighting his now shaking knees.

'Wait a second, it's not my knees that are shaking. It's the ship!'

He felt the ship lurch under his feet just as another volley collided with the broken hull. The wood splintered and shattered, sending everything and everyone on board tumbling through the remains of the deck. Splinters scratched at Sora's skin as he fell, but were quickly drowned out by the rush of water. The water was cold, sending a rush of a adrenalin to his system. For a minute, Sora tried to get his bearings, but the wreckage of the ship made it impossible to navigate. He looked up in time to see a heavily loaded barrel come falling through the water towards him. It collided full force with his head, knocking the air out of his lungs, and Sora drifted into unconsciousness in the dark waters.


	17. Conscience or Unconscious

**Chapter 17 - Conscience or Unconscious**

* * *

Sora woke to water washing up around his waist. He was lying on his stomach, his face resting against something hard and squishy. With a groan of effort, he tried to push himself up, but his hand slipped and he fell face first back into the muck. Giving up on that approach, he rolled onto his back and lifted his head up. In front of him was the wide expanse of ocean, nothing else in sight. He was sitting on a muck-covered slab of rotting wood. Above him was the broken bow of a ship, hanging over their heads to create an alcove of sorts.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned around. Will was on his feet, offering him a hand out of the muck. Sora accepted the help, slipping as he tried to stand straight. "Thanks. I'm Sora."

There was a half smile on Will's face. "Pleasure. Jack has already told me about what happened," he said, indicating the pirate, who stood on the other side of the alcove with his eyes directed to sea, "and about you."

"Ah," Sora chuckled sheepishly. He turned to Jack. "What did happen, exactly?"

Jack didn't look pleased when he responded. "That scoundrel sunk me with my own ship. As soon as we get out of here, I'll teach him not to underestimate Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Where is 'here'?"

"The Ship Graveyard. The tides carry the ruins of sunken ships here, and anyone unlucky enough to be caught on them."

Sora sighed. "Which includes us… Wait a second," he looked around, "Where's Kairi?"

"No one but us, mate. We're lucky we made it here, if you can call being here lucky. Your lass may not have been that much."

"Jack, don't say that!" Will countered, but Sora could hear the distress in his voice. "She may have been washed up in a different place. Now that Sora is awake, we can take a look around."

"And see if we can find a ride outa here," Sora added.

Agreeing on the idea, the trio set out. The Ship Graveyard had built itself on a rocky outcropping, the remains of ships piled and crowded along the walls of dark stone. The path forward from their alcove was straightforward, but rose and fell at uneven intervals. Parts of the path were constructed out of the ships themselves, some pieces that had washed into place while others looked like they had been dragged and dropped into place.

"Those pieces didn't move on their own, did they?" Sora asked as he jumped off an unevenly placed part of the path. The piece dipped as he walked to the other end, soaking his feet, but push him back up as Will stood on the other end.

"Not likely," Will replied. "Human hands could only move these, and more than one by the looks of it."

"Zombies might have," Sora mumbled. "You seem to be having problems with those."

Jack had stopped ahead of them. "'Zombies' wouldn't need to worry about drowning. Humans built these, but from the looks of them, didn't need them for long."

He was looking up and when Sora followed his gaze, he immediately wished he hadn't and ran off to find a place to hurl. Jack and Will caught up with him when he was finished, and Jack had a smile on his face.

Sora scowled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Next time, can you warn me before I look up?"

"Now, mate, there wouldn't be any fun in that, would there?"

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for fun right now. I want to find Kairi, stop Organization XIII, and get moving. I can't do any of that while we're stuck here."

Will nodded. "I understand your concern, Sora. We should focus more on looking for a way out."

"Seems that our way out just found us," Jack interrupted, pointing ahead of them.

Hoping he wouldn't regret it, Sora looked in that direction and breathed a sigh of relief. A ship with black sails came into view around the bend ahead of them. They ran towards it, but Jack stopped them as they approached, drawing his sword. Sora summoned his Keyblade, getting the signal, and Will hung back, unarmed. The two crept towards the ship, wary of an enemy attack, but their fears were unfounded.

Elizabeth came to the railing, looking relieved. "Ahoy, mateys!"

"Ridiculous imitation - and yet, I'm flattered," Jack muttered.

Will ran over and helped Elizabeth lower the gangplank. As soon as it was positioned safely, they met each other half way and embraced tightly, muttering about how they were grateful the other was safe. Sora watched their encounter and smiled, wishing Kairi was there to comment or look at him, but her absence made his empty stomach roll.

Jack nudged him as he walked past. "You'll be united with your lass soon enough, mate."

Sora blushed profusely, but didn't say anything in reply. They all boarded the ship and convened in the hold, gathering around Elizabeth. "What happened?"

"When I went to get the stretcher, I heard something outside and came to see. That man in the black coat was standing on deck. I kept quiet and watched him, hoping he hadn't seen me. When the cannons started firing and he sank the _Interceptor_, I went back into the hold and hid. I was sure he would come down and find me, but a long time passed and there was nothing. Back on deck, there was no sign of him, so I followed the wreckage and came here."

"And you haven't seen Kairi?"

"I'm sorry, but no."

"If luck is on our side," Jack spoke up, "She'll have drowned." The others turned to glare at him and he raised his hands in mock surrender. "On the other hand, luck doesn't seem to be with us, so she'll surely have been captured by that Organizer."

Sora's fists tightened. "You're right. I'm the one the Organization is after, so kidnapping Kairi is a good way to lead me into a trap. Geez, they know me pretty well." He half smiled, half grimaced.

"But why are they after you?" Will asked.

"This," he answered, summoning his Keyblade and holding it up for them, "Me and my Keyblade are getting in their way, so they want me gone."

Jack's gaze lingered on the Keyblade before he turned and started towards the wheel. "Then we'd best be off, else they decide to sink us here. Savvy?"

* * *

As the _Black Pearl_ headed back to Port Royal, Sora sat at the bow, staring out at the dark waters. The ship moving forward distorted the surface, creating waves that sent out ripples and collapsed over each other. His thoughts rolled and churned like the water, and he wanted to reach out and wipe the scenery away like a bad drawing.

"Something the matter, Sora?" Will asked as he walked up, making Sora jump out of his trance, "You seem distracted. Have you gotten any sleep?"

"I tried," he mumbled back, turning back to the water, "Will, can I ask you something?"

"By all means, ask."

"Do you trust Jack?"

Will sat down next to him, looking towards where Jack was standing at the helm. "That is a good question… I would say so."

"Even though he's a pirate?"

"Well, Jack seems to be a special case. He's a rare sort of good pirate, or maybe he's just not good at being a pirate at all."

Sora chuckled. "So you're only focusing on the good things he's done?"

"Not particularly. I can't ignore the bad things he's done, but those things aren't my concern. He's helped us more times than I can repay and… I have to admit I hit him over the head with an oar once."

Hearing this, Sora broke into a fit of giggles, gripping his stomach. "Sounds like fun."

"If you don't, can I ask why you wanted to know?"

"It's… the reason why I'm after Organization XIII, even though they're trying to kill me. They have my friend. We've been friends for a very long time, best friends practically since we could walk, but a while back he did a lot of bad things and hurt a lot of people. I felt like he'd betrayed me, like the fact that we were friends didn't matter. Since then, I was asleep for three years and wandering around for another year, and I found out that for all this time, he's been looking after me, risking his life to keep me safe. I've been looking for him because of that, but I think I'm avoiding the real question I want to ask myself: why am I doing this? Am I fighting to find him because we were friends for so long or because I've actually forgiven him? I don't think I have an answer to that question, and that's what scares me. I can understand now how he might have felt, abandoned and forgotten, and it makes me wonder if I had any right to have been mad at him. Maybe…I think I might be the one who wants forgiveness."

"Forgiveness for what?"

"Forgetting. I forgot why we became friends because being friends with him was just who I was. It was a part of me, so natural that I forgot it was there. But I guess… for him, it was different. Because I forgot, I didn't see that."

Will looked him over for a long time. "It seems like something you need to work out when you see him. I think you'll know the answer then. Still, it looks like you need to sleep."

"I tried, but I can't. I'm worried and…" He trailed off.

"Something happened."

"I had a dream. When I left my home, before it was covered in darkness, I saw my friend, the one I'm trying to rescue. He offered to help me, holding out his hand, telling me not to be afraid, to walk forward into the darkness without fear. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't grab his hand, and he went without me. That's when everything started going wrong.

"In my dream, it was like that but worse. We were standing on the beach and he was holding his hand out to me, silently calling me forward. I wanted to go, but the tide pulled out and a giant tidal wave rose behind him. Even though it was a dream, I could feel my heart sinking. I tried to run out to him, save him, but my feet felt like cinder blocks. My hand was inches from his when the wave came down. It knocked me back and I couldn't breathe, but when I saw him, he was just fine, in that same pose. The current pushed me and I fought back. When I finally managed to grab his hand, I saw his face. He looked like he was going to cry, like he was happy and sad at the same time. I woke up then, and that's when it hit me."

"Hit you?"

"I knew why he looked like that. I'm fighting a losing battle, and by the time I find him, it'll be too late. Even in my dreams, I know I've lost."

"You can't think like that, Sora. It sounds like you've given up all hope."

Sora flinched. "I haven't… given up… but I'm not quick enough. He's been their prisoner for a year, and I only found out a couple weeks ago that he was in trouble. I don't know what they've done to him. I'm not giving up, but I don't want to admit that I probably won't be able to live with myself if they…" He jumped to his feet, kicking a mast feebly. "I wouldn't even be thinking this if Kairi was here! I'm so hopeless! I can't even keep my own emotions in check! How does anyone expect me to save people when I can't even look after my own friends? How can I look after my friends if I can't even look after myself?"

"There's no need to worry about it now, mate," Jack said, walking over, "We've arrived."

* * *

Kairi glared up at her captor, fighting against the Nobodies that had wrapped themselves tightly around her. Bound like that, she couldn't attack them and her Keyblade wouldn't do her any good. She was sitting on the rampart where they had arrived, her captor looking out at the ocean beyond.

"You're not going to accomplish anything like this," she snapped confidently, "Sora will just come and finish you."

"I expect him to come, but he is the one who's time has run out. I assure you of that."

"I don't think so."

He turned around, and she could almost make out the smile on his hooded face. "Would you care to bet on that?"

Something about his tone made her feel tense, but she didn't back down. "Sure do. Sora will come, beat you to a pulp, and you'll tell us the location of the Organization's headquarters."

"Now that's one bet I refuse to make," he chuckled. "An admirable try, though."

Kairi snorted her annoyance and glared at him, concentrating her anger more intensely than before. Much to her surprise, he swayed, bringing his hand to his head as though struck by a sudden headache. He turned back to his post and Kairi resumed glaring at him. Again, he suddenly swayed, holding the wall to avoid falling into the water. Something flashed in Kairi's head and she almost jumped.

'What was that? Was that… his memory? But how was I…? Naminé? It must have been! I can see his memories because of her power, and it's making him unbalanced. If I keep trying, I might be able to get something out of him! Well, here goes…'

Steeling herself, Kairi concentrated as much as she could, reaching out with her mind to rummage through the enemy's head.


	18. Card Games of Pirate Ships

_Halloween update!_

* * *

**Chapter 18 - Card Games on Pirate Ships**

* * *

Sora didn't even wait for the ship to dock before he leaped over the side and took off running. He heard Will instructing Elizabeth to stay with the ship, but paid it no mind as Jack and Will joined him on the harbor.

"Where is he?" Sora grumbled, immensely on edge. He couldn't sit still, constantly looking around for some sign of Kairi or Organization XIII.

Will cleared his throat. "Elizabeth said she saw something move up on the rampart."

"And where's that?"

He pointed up at the large fort that they had arrived at. Sora rolled his eyes and summoned his Keyblade before running towards it, climbing the stairs two at a time. Adrenaline pumped through this system, kicking his reactions into overdrive.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he jumped forward, taking less than a second to absorb everything. Kairi was leaning against the prison bars, the pink Nobodies wrapped around her like rope. The Organization member was standing near her, holding his head despite having his hood still up.

Sora lunged at him, swinging his Keyblade in a wide arc, and he heard Kairi gasp. The Organization member recovered from whatever was ailing him and managed to dodge in time, the Keyblade catching only the edge of his sleeve.

"Sora, he's number X, Luxord!" Kairi shouted from her seat on the sidelines as Sora continued attacking, "He wields cards and has power over time!"

"Got it!" He took another swing at Luxord, but the man suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind him instantly. Sora turned and slashed back, but Luxord moved again.

"I think you've made a very bad move, Princess," Luxord snapped, another one of his lesser Nobodies appearing at his side. It moved to Kairi quickly, but Jack caught it off guard and cut through it.

"I think you've underestimated the rest of us. This is the day you will _always_ remember as the day that you _lost_ to _Captain_ Jack Sparrow," Jack declared, brandishing his sword. Will joined him, wielding a sword as well.

Together, the three men attacked but Luxord seemed to be inches out of the way every time they tried to strike. His movements were strange to Sora's eyes, jumpy and irregular. Thinking it was time to change tactics, he took a step back a let loose a blast of fire from his Keyblade. Luxord raised one hand and a large playing card, nearly a head taller than any of them, rose up out of the ground and took the hit, dissipating into darkness.

Sora stepped in to strike again, but Luxord raised another card and he ran into it face first. Fumbling with his Keyblade, he rubbed his nose, which had taken the brunt of the impact, and sliced straight through it. He rejoined Jack and Will, resuming his attack.

Luxord stepped out of the way of their attacks again and lifted his hand up, summoning a wall of cards. Sora sliced straight through them, but Luxord had vanished. He glanced around, but there was no sign of him. "Where is he?"

"Underneath you!" Kairi yelled, and Sora looked down. A handful of regular-sized cards had slipped under their feet without them noticing and, when they brought their attention to them, the cards enlarged and stood up, flipping them into the air. Will toppled over the backside of a cannon and hit his head on the ground. Sora managed to right himself and land next to Kairi. Jack, as per his luck, was flipped over the rampart wall, saving himself from a deadly drop by one hand.

Will and Sora attacked together; though Luxord managed to narrowly avoid all their attacks. Sora could feel himself grow more tired with each swing, knowing his energy levels were winding down. Luxord raised another card, but he saw it coming and jumped off the edge, landing near the cliff.

"Zola! Some assistance!" Jack shouted up to him.

"It's _Sora_!"

"Will ye leave a mate to perish?"

Grumbling, Sora leaned over the edge and grabbed Jack's hand, pulling him up enough that he could get his arms over the wall before rejoining Will, who seemed to need all the assistance he could get. Luxord jumped backwards over a cannon and Jack attacked him from behind, slicing through the back of his coat, but the cut was too shallow and didn't deter him in the least.

Sora dropped back to catch his breath. "Why… can't we…hit him?"

"He's pausing time when you try to attack," Kairi explained, "Watch."

Jack and Will kept attacking Luxord and, watching, Sora could see what Kairi meant. Will ran in for a strike but he paused for half a second, just enough time for Luxord to start backing up. Will started moving again and Jack stopped, having tried to attack Luxord from the other side.

'He's stopping us! But, it looks like he can only stop one person at a time. So…' "Jack, Will, attack him at the same time!"

They heard him and changed strategies, attacking simultaneously. Luxord tried to dodge but it didn't work and both swords sliced into his coat. He tried stopping them, but they gradually pushed him into a corner. Sora hefted his Keyblade and prepared to run back into the fray.

"Sora! You could at least untie me!" Kairi snapped.

"In a minute!" he yelled back.

Ahead of him, a large gaping circle of darkness appeared behind Luxord, one Sora had seen Riku use before for transport. Luxord backed into it and it closed, vanishing into thin air. This stunned Jack and Will enough for Luxord to appear from another dark circle and attack them from behind summoning up a card. Will was slammed into the butt end of a cannon and collapsed, groaning in pain. Jack was broadsided by the card and went tumbling down the stairs.

Unfortunately for Luxord, his position put him directly in front of Sora, his back exposed. He jumped up for an overhand strike, bringing his Keyblade down for a powerful slice down Luxord's back. The Nobody yelled out in pain as Sora's Keyblade tore through the back of his hood, through his back and down one of his legs. He stumbled and turned, the hood falling off his head, revealing his close-cropped blond hair and a matching short moustache and goatee.

Sora felt his emotions churning, bubbling to the surface and exposing themselves. He was angry, both at the Organization and at himself, and the anger took form. He moved as though he had no control over his actions, walking towards Luxord with Keyblade in hand. His rage clouded his vision and he swung his Keyblade without mercy, the metal colliding with Luxord's head.

Luxord dropped to the ground with a thud, only enough strength to sit up before darkness began to overtake him. His facial hair disappeared and then he was consumed.

His powerful emotions becoming dormant again, Sora dropped his Keyblade and took deep breaths, trying to prevent the panic that was rising in him. 'I… I did that. I felt that… Never again. I never want to feel that way again. Never, ever again.'

The lesser Nobodies restraining Kairi, with their commander gone, released her and vanished into darkness. As she stood up, Sora ran over to her and hugged her tightly. After an initial moment of shock, she hugged him back.

"I was so worried about you," he muttered.

"Same here. You could have untied me earlier, you know."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're here."

He nodded. "Kairi… don't leave me again. Please."

"Well now, one happy reunion deserves another," Jack said, coming up the stairs with Elizabeth in tow. She ran over to Will, who was picking himself up off the ground. Sora and Kairi stopped hugging. "Now, about my reward…"

Elizabeth scowled. "Is that all you can think about?"

"A pirate always looks to profit, Miss Swan."

"And what'll it be?"

"That lovely blade of Sora's."

"What?" Kairi gasped, "You can't!"

"Okay. Sure," Sora answered, gesturing to the Keyblade, still lying on the ground.

"Sora!" Kairi protested, but he put a hand on her shoulder and leaned close to whisper in her ear.

"Just watch. It's an interesting trick I learned."

Jack walked over and picked up the Keyblade, holding it in his hand for only a moment before it disappeared in a flash of light. Another flash and it was back in Sora's hands. He only shrugged. "It seemed to be far too easy."

"Well, you can't always get what you want, Jack." Suddenly, Sora remembered something and turned back to Kairi. "How did you know? About Luxord's powers?"

She smiled. "While I was here, I looked into his memories."

"His memories? How?"

"Naminé has power over memories, and I guess some of her powers transferred to me. I looked around in his memories and that's how I knew about his powers."

"His memories, huh? Then… you know where the Organization's headquarters are?"

"No," she answered, the smile gone from her face, "It's like those memories were blocked off, protected somehow. I couldn't get at them, but…"

"But what?"

"It's something else I saw. It was… a giant moon. A giant heart-shaped moon… and something about it felt wrong. It… it felt like the moon was made out of hearts - people's hearts."

* * *

Axel stepped into the prison, looking around. "Hmm. I thought Xion would be here for sure, but I guess not." He walked along to Riku's cell, hands in his pockets, before he leaned up against the bars. They shifted under his weight and he jumped up, realizing that they had been dented inward and were coming out of their fixtures. He let out a low whistle. "I can guess who did this one…"

Riku shifted slightly and Axel looked down at him. "You're awake. Good; I wanted to talk. I've heard from Xion that you're a good listener, probably better than the last time I tried to talk to you, so I wanted an opinion on something. It's… Roxas. You've seen the way he acts. Angry, impulsive… and it seems like he means it. Nobodies can't feel any of those things, and yet, Roxas does. And his Keyblades, too. I'm not up on all the details, but I'm pretty sure you need a heart for one of those.

"What I'm getting at is… does Roxas have a heart? If he does, then whose? Is it Sora's? If it is, what's Sora using for a heart? There are too many questions without answers and I'm trying my best to figure them out…"

"Not…Sora's…"

Axel looked back over his shoulder with a smile. "Not Sora's, eh? That clears up some things. So then, it's probably _his_… But that can't be. He…" He shook his head. "There's no use dwelling on the past, right? I got that memorized a long time ago. Besides, it was before your time."

Straightening up, he put his hands back in his pockets. "You know, I think the Organization sealed its own fate by bringing you here. If Sora and Roxas are anything alike, then we've got an unstoppable problem on our hands. It's kind of… ironic, don't you think?"

* * *

Xigbar walked up to the Altar of Naught, the highest point in the castle, knowing who he would find there. The leader of the Organization, I, stood looking up at the glowing heart-shaped moon that was their Kingdom Hearts from under his hood. Shaking his head at their leader's predictable nature, Xigbar walked over and stood beside him.

"We've lost another one," he said, looking at the moon as well, "X, from what the graveyard says."

The Superior only grunted in response.

"That's four now. Sora's a regular old wrecking ball, huh?"

Another grunted response.

"Any plans to stop him?"

"Failure will no longer be tolerated," he replied in his deep, chilling voice.

"Obviously. He took out III, though, so we can't keep underestimating the kid. I didn't expect him to be anything worth worrying about, but he's shaping out to be okay."

"And he must be dealt with, Xigbar. Failure will not be tolerated."

It took a moment to sink in. "I'm going next? You're joking, right?" When there was no reply, he sighed. "Yeah, as if. Fine. I'll go. I just hope you know what you're doing. You seem to be… hard to read. I can't tell who you think you are."

"You're stalling."

"I'm not stalling," he shot back, "You don't realize what you're doing. You doting over Roxas, the planned mission to Castle Oblivion; you're looking for _him_, aren't you? It makes me wonder who's guiding your actions, that man or…?"

The Superior turned his head, and Xigbar felt his haunting orange glare penetrating both fabric and shadow. "My actions will not be questioned. Understood?"

He could only stand so much before he averted his gaze. "Got it. I'll be leaving now. You have a plan if I fail?"

"He has a heart, and therefore, a will. Break it."

Xigbar recognized those kind of orders; orders completed without thought. It was what made that man their leader, the ability to issue orders that would be followed on pain of something much worse than death. Orders like that had been issued only once before, and those orders had gotten the Organization in trouble to begin with.

Xigbar smiled. "Will do."


	19. Friendly Neighborhood SomethingOrOthers

_Sorry! I'm really sorry about the lateness of this. I've been really busy with school over the last week, and I spent all of the weekend trying to write in between watching Durarara. Also, I was in a bit of a writer's block due to some horrible criticism I was given last week. Sorry again, and I apologize also if this chapter isn't very good. I'll be working hard on this, promise, but I'm also trying to finish _Twisted Hours_, so the rest may come slowly. Sorry._

* * *

**Chapter 19 - Friendly Neighborhood Something-or-others**

* * *

Sora opened his eyes as the light of the Star Shard faded and looked around in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me…"

Kairi was equally astonished. "Sora, isn't this… Traverse Town?"

"Looks like it. This is the… Second Distract, right?"

Looking across the square, Sora could see the familiar raised walkway and one of the doors to the Hotel. The path behind them turned around back of one of the buildings, continuing out of view to the Third Distract. The walkway looped and came back towards them, a similarly styled ledge on a building on their other side. Everything in front of him was exactly as he remembered, as though it had gone untouched since he last left.

Before he could contemplate why they had been brought here, the air in front of them rippled and wavered, coalescing in less than a second into a black coated man with grey-streaked black hair, slick and tied back into a ponytail. In his hands were two guns with arrow-like protrusions sticking out the back and sides and, as Sora watched, he brought them both down, a pink light engulfing and reloading them. His eyes were yellow, but one was obscured by a black eye patch.

He spotted them and gave them a sly, toothy grin. "Look what the cat dragged in. See ya later." The air warped again and he was gone, faster than either of them could react.

Sora stood still for a moment, completely dumbfounded. "What the…? Hey!"

Metal scraping against stone made him stop and look up in time to see a woman in black with a long silver sword jumping off the walkway. He barely had time to scramble out of the way before she landed where he'd been standing, her sword hitting the ground with a metallic reverberation. Summoning his Keyblade, he blocked as she brought up another quick strike, their weapons deflecting off each other before he launched into an attack.

Another clang of metal rang through the air as a second, blond woman joined in the fray, blocking his Keyblade with one of her two short blades. She turned to strike with the other, but Kairi's foot met her arm and diverted her aim. Sora forced the two women apart and ended up back to back with Kairi, pinned between them. The two women attacked again and they broke off into groups, Sora taking on the woman with the sword while Kairi broke off with the other.

Sora and the woman shifted into a dance-like pattern of attacking and defending, gaining and losing ground continually. He noticed as they fought that she attacked quickly, her strikes all underhand due to the backhanded way she held her sword. Experimentally, he tried to overpower her, but she matched his force without thought and he abandoned that line of approach. Instead, he tried to force his strike up under hers, hoping to throw her off balance or disarm her. He wanted to check on Kairi, make sure she was alright, but he was sure she could handle herself and knew he wouldn't get a chance to take his eyes off his opponent.

He thought he heard someone shouting something, but he brushed it off, thinking it was coming from the other fight. He dodged under another of the woman's swings and prepared to charge into another attack until a loud bang filled the air and the stone in front of him exploded into dust. Skidding to an abrupt halt, he jumped back, looking over in the direction his opponent was.

Another woman with short flared brown hair was standing on the ledge, two smoking pistols pointed in their general directions. Seeing that they had stopped, she blew away the rest of the smoke and holstered the guns on her belt before jumping down to join them. Kairi and the other woman had stopped as well.

"I said, that's enough!" the brunette spoke sternly, a hint of annoyance in her voice, "There's no need to be fighting each other."

The blond scowled. "But Yunie, they let him get away! He was our one chance of finding that guy and now he's gone!"

'Yunie' shook her head. "We don't know that for sure. Besides, they may know something. What do you think, Paine?"

The woman with the sword, Paine, mulled it over for a minute. "You've got a point. That guy was obviously messing with us, so I doubt we'll get anything out of him. They're all yours, Yuna."

"Good!" The brunette walked over to Sora and Kairi. "I'm sorry my friends attacked you like that. We were trying to hunt down that black-coated man and, as you can see, we're not having much luck."

"Uh… it's okay, I guess?" Sora muttered, looking at Kairi for confirmation. She only shrugged, eyebrows knit together. "Um, do you mind if we ask exactly who you are?"

The girls shared a smile before they congregated in front of them, brandishing their weapons in a rehearsed routine. Yuna dropped to one knee, brandishing her twin pistols in front of her, smiling. "Y!"

The blond stood behind her in a battle position, her knives ready. "R!"

Paine stood behind her, sword held up over her head. "P!"

Yuna picked up the end of their chant. "We're your friendly neighborhood Gullwings!"

Sora and Kairi only stared. From their reactions, this wasn't the outcome the girls had been hoping for.

The blond hooked her blades to her belt and scowled. "Oh, poopie! Yuna, I told you it wasn't going to work. 'Friendly neighborhood-' makes us sound like reject superheroes from a children's story!"

Paine clapped her hand to her face, trying to hide her expression of exasperation and shame from her companions.

"I know, but I like it! Remember last time we tried something else? They drove us out," Yuna sighed, holstering her pistols. "Doesn't look like we can win…"

Sora cleared his throat and all the girls looked over at him. "Sorry to interrupt your meeting, friendly neighborhood whoever-you-are-"

"Gullwings," the blond reminded them, smiling.

Kairi giggled. "Gullwings, then. Sorry, but you said you thought we could help you? You're looking for someone?"

Yuna nodded. "Actually, the person we're looking for is helping us look for someone."

"So, you're looking for someone to help you look for someone who is helping you look for someone?" Sora asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"Pretty much," Paine answered as sympathetically as she seemed capable of, "It sounds backwards, but we've been doing this too long to give up on good leads."

"Who exactly are you looking for? I mean, the person you're looking for who's helping you. We've been around, so we may know this person," Kairi offered.

The Gullwings exchanged quick glances. Paine and the blond nodded, and Yuna turned back to them and launched into an explanation. "We're looking for a certain man. Fairly tall, though it's been a while since we last saw him, so he should probably be your height, maybe taller. He's wearing a yellow vest over a black one, a pair of jeans, sneakers, and a white glove of sorts on one hand. Silvery hair, green eyes, more than slight build…"

"Alternatively," the blond piped in over Yuna's shoulder, "he's wearing a blindfold and a black coat like that guy we were chasing."

Hearing their description, Sora took a moment to think it over, but Kairi realized it first. "Riku!"

The blond girl blinked surprise. "Yes?"

"That's his name; Riku. He's a friend of ours," Sora explained.

"Really… Because my name is Rikku."

"Huh?"

Paine rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they're spelled differently, Rikku."

"Riku and Rikku…" Sora groaned. "This could get complicated."

Yuna was still all smiles. "If he's a friend of yours, you can help us out, right?"

"I wish we could. We're looking for him too."

"So, in a sense, you were on the right track," Kairi pointed out, "That guy you were chasing is a member of Organization XIII. They've been holding Riku prisoner for over a year."

The Gullwings exchanged another set of looks before Rikku stomped her feet like a little girl. "Aww, and he got away, too~"

"But he probably hasn't left this world. He'll stay here as long as we are, so we'll have a chance to capture him," Sora said, looking around and wondering momentarily if the Organization member was out there listening.

Paine noticed his expression. "We should continue this conversation somewhere else. We don't know who's listening."

* * *

Their conversation moved to the house in the Third District, which Leon and the others had once used as their base. The house was still in a state of disarray, dusty boxes piled up in one corner, and Sora absentmindedly wondered if anyone had been in there since they left. When they had checked to make sure everything was secure, Sora and Kairi launched into their story, explaining their encounters with the Organization and the progress of their quest.

"Seems like you've been though a lot," Yuna commented when they had finished, "I can relate to that."

Rikku rested her elbows on the table. "But you're not any farther along, huh? We've got a lot in common."

"What about you? How did you end up in your situation?" Sora asked.

Yuna bit her lip. "It's a bit of a long story."

"We've got time," Kairi replied, elbowing Sora when he opened his mouth to protest, "We'll have a better idea of how we can help if you tell us the whole thing."

The girls discussed it for a minute before Yuna began. "It started around four years ago… no, more than that now. One day, a boy from an otherworld appeared in our home world, Spira."

"An otherworld?" Sora asked.

"It's what we call all the other worlds outside our own," Paine answered.

Yuna continued. "At the time, I was on the verge of doing something that I feel I would deeply regret now. This boy helped change my mind. He made me feel that the life I had been prepared to throw away had meaning. I grew very close to him in the time we spent together."

"In short," Rikku interrupted, "she got herself a boyfriend!"

"R-Rikku! Don't say things like that!" Yuna shouted, blushing profusely.

Kairi smiled. "Was he your boyfriend?"

"I-I… don't know."

"How come?"

Yuna's eyes dropped to the table. "We overcame great trials together, and when I was going to tell him how I felt, he disappeared."

"He what?" Sora gasped. "He left you?"

She shook her head. "No, he actually vanished right before my eyes. It was… like some kind of magic. I figured that it was taking him back to his world, taking him back where he belonged, but I didn't make it any easier to bear…

"I joined Rikku, who is my cousin, and our friend Paine as sphere hunters. Spheres are… like videos, I guess. Recordings of things. Well, eventually, I couldn't take it. I missed him too much. I kept listening for him, hoping that somehow he would find his way back to me, but that day never came. I got tired of waiting. I resolved that I would find him, no matter what it took or how long it took to do it. I told Rikku and Paine, and they came with me."

Rikku draped an arm over her cousin's shoulder. "'Cause, you know, Yunie is hopeless without us!"

"I wouldn't say that I'm totally hopeless," she laughed, "But I'm grateful that the two of you have stuck with me for so long. I wouldn't be able to pilot the ship without you two."

Sora blinked. "Ship?"

"Our airship, the Celsius," Paine explained, "It belonged to Rikku's older brother, but he leant it to us when he heard that Yuna needed transport. It's been modified for travel in space."

"Because Brother is hopeless when it comes to Yuna," Rikku piped in, "He'll do anything to make Yuna happy."

Yuna sighed. "I'm not trying to take advantage of Brother. I'm very grateful for his help, and I promised to repay him when we return."

"And you've been traveling around since?" Kairi asked.

"We have. It's through our travels that we met your Riku… and her."

"Her?"

Paine scowled. "Maleficent."

Sora stood up so fast that his chair almost toppled over. "Maleficent? But… she's gone! She can't be back!"

"She's gone now, but she was back before. We don't know anything about before, but she was unpleasant when we met her."

"Same old Maleficent, then," Kairi sighed.

Yuna chuckled. "Well, we eventually crossed paths with Maleficent. She said she would help us look, but only if we managed to accomplish a certain task for her."

"A certain task?"

"She asked us…" Yuna looked up at them with shame in her eyes, "She asked us to kill your Riku."


	20. The Princess and the Priestess

**Chapter 20 - The Princess and the Priestess**

* * *

Sora was glad he hadn't sat back down, as he would have almost knocked over his chair again. "Maleficent… asked you to… kill Riku?"

Yuna nodded solemnly. "Apparently he was causing trouble for her and she wanted him out of the way. She was too busy to deal with him herself, so she sent us after him."

"She… did that?" Sora muttered, sitting back down in shock.

Kairi mulled it over. "She was probably still angry about what happened at Hollow Bastion. I'm not surprised."

"We didn't do it, though," Rikku smiled. "When we found him, we fought him and got our butts handed to us. After we explained what Maleficent had asked us to do, he told us that we couldn't trust her and that he would help us. It was a much better deal, if you ask me. I don't think Maleficent would have kept her end of the bargain. Besides, I don't think we could have killed him…" She cringed.

Yuna nodded. "We haven't seen him since. That was… a year and a half ago? Yes, I believe it was that."

Kairi leaned back in her chair. "That makes sense. And Maleficent hasn't contacted you since, to check on you?"

"She's gone again," Paine mumbled in reply, "Someone did her in after the last time we saw her. Safe to assume it was your Riku."

"Alone?"

"We're not too keen on the details. She's out of the way and off our backs."

Rikku smirked. "And good riddance to that old hag, too."

"That only brings us back to our original problem: Organization XIII," Yuna pointed out, "We have to capture that guy if we're going to accomplish anything."

Sora folded his arms, starting down at the tabletop. "Easier said than done. Our first problem is that we don't know where he went. Also, we have no way of capturing him."

"Even if we do figure out how to capture him, there's no guaranteeing that it will work. When we were chasing him, he moved from place to place without restriction. It was as if he was stepping into air in one place and appearing in another. Even worse, he could manipulate it around his hands," Yuna mentioned.

"Yeah! It was like he was controlling the space around him," Rikku whined, "It's pretty unfair of him, having powers like that. It's as bad as cheating."

Kairi giggled. "Well, I think we should focus on tracking him down first. Sora has a way of making up plans on the go and carrying them out, so I think we'll be fine."

After a couple minutes of discussion, it was decided that they would split into two groups and try to cover as much area as possible in their search. Sora, Rikku, and Paine would search the First and Third Districts, and Kairi and Yuna would take the Second. Making sure their weapons and supplies were in order, they set out.

* * *

Kairi walked with Yuna through the deserted district, fondly remembering the short time she had spent there. Everyone had been so kind and understanding of their situation, but the abandoned streets only sent chills down her spine. It was distressing her, reminding her that she had to focus on what was in front of her.

'The only thing that matters right now is finding that Organization member. Once we find him, we can get out of here, get Riku, and go home.'

Suddenly, Yuna slowed down beside her and Kairi stopped, wondering if something was wrong. "Kairi, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go right ahead."

"Do… do you think I'm being selfish?"

"Why would I think that?"

Yuna shuffled her feet. "I dragged by friends away from home, taking them on this crazy search. We've done a lot of dangerous things. I've put their lives at risk. I was thinking only of myself when we left, but now I feel bad for pulling them into this for so long. We may never find him."

"First of all, if you think you're being selfish, then I'm as selfish as you are," Kairi smiled, "Second, don't give up hope. I'm sure you'll find him."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm… in the exact same situation as you. I sat around for three years, unsure of what to do and how to do it. Eventually, I just couldn't sit around anymore. I really didn't think about whether I was doing the right thing or not. All I knew was that I couldn't keep waiting. I trained to make myself stronger, so I wouldn't be a hindrance, and I took the first chance that I could to get moving. It was all because I love Sora and I couldn't keep waiting for my two best friends to come home. I…I guess I got tired of waiting. It wasn't good enough. I was lonely. Don't get me wrong: I have other friends. But Sora and Riku are different. I wasn't thinking of anyone but myself. I wanted to end the loneliness that had crept into the void they had left behind. Right now, I think Sora might have been better off before I came. Sometimes I feel like all I'm doing is getting in the way."

Yuna smiled. "Now it's mine turn to say it, but I think you're wrong. Sora may not realize it, but I've seen the way he looks at you, and I think he's glad that you're the one here with him."

"Huh?"

"I've seen a lot of people and seen a lot of them hiding their suffering behind smiles. I know what people look like when they're clinging to false hopes only because they need _something_. Sora's eyes look like that." Yuna clasped her hands behind her back, staring up at the sky. "He looks like he needs your support, like he feels the same way as you do. He's got a lot of pressure on him, from what you've told me, and he needs someone to keep him standing upright. He needs you, someone who truly loves him, to stand by his side… like _he_ was for me…"

Kairi rested a reassuring hand on her companion's shoulder. "I think everyone does. Right now, we need to focus on finding that guy. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can find who we're looking for."

"Of course." They continued walking along the path, but Yuna stopped. "What's in there?" she asked, pointing to the building ahead of them, a door inside it at the end of the path.

Kairi racked her brain, trying to remember anything at all from the tour Aerith had given her that would spark her memory. She rubbed her temples as her head began to ache, sifting slowly through all of the old memories she had figured she wouldn't need. "Um… I think it's…the Gizmo Shop. Yes, that's it. It's a strange place, filled with levers and switches and platforms, but I have no clue what any of it does. It's empty, as far as I remember."

"From the looks of it, the entire town is empty, but this seems like a good place to hide. I'm willing to bet we find something in there, if not our elusive Organization friend."

The door to the Gizmo Shop was rusted to the point that Kairi had to apply her full strength to get it to budge. The inside was as she remembered it, a sickening, almost painful shade of yellow, filled with raised platforms and ledges, walls decorated with clocks and switches. Through the electricity still ran fine, some of the lights hanging from the ceiling flicked while others remained absolutely dead.

Yuna kept her hands on her gun holsters. "It's much creepier than I expected."

"Well, if it ain't the princess and the summoner," a voice interrupted. They both jumped, ready for battle, and turned into the source. The Organization member was crouched on a ledge above them, a light flickering behind him that infrequently cast his face in shadows, highlighting his scarred face. "Nice to see you two getting along."

"Summoner?" Kairi asked under her breath.

Yuna shook her head. "Long story. Later." Clearing her throat, she spoke up. "You're with Organization XIII? And you're here to kill Sora?"

He chuckled. "You got it. Saves me the trouble of explaining myself. So why don't we cut to the chase, girls, and get this fight started." The air rippled around his hands and his arrow guns appeared, fully loaded and ready to fire.

Prepared to fight back, Kairi was temporarily stunned when he swung his arms behind him and kept them there. Yuna leapt into action immediately, pushing Kairi to the floor as the sound of the air rippling rung out again and again. Shots like crystallized lasers came at them from all directions and Yuna fired her pistols, the shots hitting each other with almost unnatural accuracy to cancel each other out.

Knowing that Yuna didn't have infinite ammo, Kairi made a quick decision. Summoning her Keyblade, she pulled Yuna to the floor with her. "Reflect!" The beehive barrier came up, all of the laser shots bouncing off of it and dissipating against the walls. She smirked when she saw the Organization member scowl, one eyebrow raised. "Reload," she whispered to her partner, "I'll hold this until then."

"Thanks." Crossing the pistols in front of her, a sigil appeared beneath Yuna. With a loud click, the guns reloaded and she spun them once in her hands, readjusting her grip. "Ready."

Kairi dropped the barrier and Yuna jumped back to her feet, canceling out the incoming shots. When she needed to reload again, she dropped back into a crouch and Kairi brought the magic barrier up.

"How long are we going to sit here?" she asked, looking over Yuna's shoulder.

The other girl shrugged, her pistols clicking. "Till he runs out of ammo or patience. Whichever comes first."

"What if he doesn't?" Kairi shouted over the sounds of the rippling air, Yuna's shots, and the ringing of the midair ammo collisions.

"We pray for backup?"

'I'm not liking the sound of that.' Knowing they had to get out of their confined space, she waited until Yuna had reloaded before she enacted her plan. Jumping to her feet, Kairi charged towards the back door, dropping to the ground and rolling across the floor when she heard the air rippling behind her. She heard Yuna behind her, but she focused her attention forward. She sprung out of her roll and tackled her way through the door, its rusted hinges and wooden frame giving way in the face of her physical might.

The back alley behind the Gizmo shop was dark, a grateful contrast to the garish light inside, but Kairi didn't waste a second to let her eyes adjust. "Cover me," she shouted to Yuna as the other woman joined her, and she started up the ladder as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, the ladder was in horrible shape and every hurried movement made it creek louder each time.

The climb up was made harder by the fact that their Organization company had relocated his weapons outside, raining laser fire down on their heads while the rest of him remained out of sight. Kairi occasionally had to hang off the ladder by one arm to avoid the shots, letting Yuna counter them from below, the ladder groaning in protest of the strain. Finally, she made it to the top, hoisting herself over the edge as quickly as she could. The laser shots seemed to avoid her there, only focused in the back alley.

'Maybe he can only fire at what he can see? He knew I was climbing the ladder, but now that I'm here, he doesn't know where I am… But that means he can only see Yuna! How is she going to get up here?'

Kairi leaned over the edge of the roof in time to see Yuna propel herself onto the roof, using the alley walls as leverage for each diagonal step she took along them. With one more burst of strength, she pushed herself upwards and flipped in the air to land on the roof, her pistols clicking in unison.

"Impressive," Kairi smiled.

"Thanks. Hold on… the shots stopped."

"Huh?"

Looking back into the alleyway, Kairi saw she was right; no more laser fire lit up the darkness below them. Straightening up, she saw why and practically jumped out of her skin. The Organization member was standing before them… in the air above the alleyway… hanging upside down from nothing, a sly smile on his face. The two girls backed up, in battle ready position, and he jumped down from his perch, tapping one of his arrow guns against his shoulder.

"You thought getting up here would let you escape? As if. Let's finish things."

Kairi was ready to fight, but Yuna grabbed her arm lightly. "When I tell you, jump off," she whispered.

"What?"

"Trust me."

Not knowing what else to do, Kairi nodded slightly. "Alright."

He chuckled. "Still planning to fight? You've got spunk. I'll give you that."

"_Now_!" Yuna shouted, their feet practically hanging over the ledge. Spinning around, Kairi jumped.

* * *

Sora had finished his search of the First and Third Districts with Rikku and Paine, but they turned up nothing. The entire world was exactly as he remembered it, not a single thing out of place, but that also meant their target hadn't been around. Paine had suggested that he was hiding, moving around from place to place each time they went looking. Somehow, Sora felt compelled to disagree. A bad feeling was growing in his stomach, and he knew almost instinctively that it had to do with Kairi. He eventually persuaded the others to go to the Second District with him.

They entered the Second District from the Third, walking around by the back alley near the Gizmo Shop. Rikku and Paine were discussing something, but he tuned it out, concentrating on his ominous feeling. Something occurred to him, but he never got a chance to explore it.

"_Now_!" Yuna's voice echoed above them, and Sora looked up in time to see Kairi a split second before she landed on top of him. Rikku and Paine caught Yuna in their arms and let her hope to her feet.

"Nice catch, Sora," Rikku laughed.

Sora groaned as Kairi got off him and helped him up. "I could have used a bit more warning…"

"Sorry," Kairi smiled, giving him a quick hug as way of apology, "I didn't get much warning either."

The air rippled again and everyone readied their weapons, keeping their eyes on the ledge above their heads where the Organization member now sat, a patronizing smile on his face.


	21. 1000 Words To Make A Picture

_Anyone else see _Tron: Legacy_? I loved it. I wish I had every jacket Jeff Bridges wore in that movie. Especially the badass evil one with the yellow Tron Lines. Also, Rinzler is awesome. Obviously._

* * *

**Chapter 21 - 1000 Words To Make A Picture**

* * *

"Well, the gang's all here," the Organization member chuckled, leaning back against the wall, his feet dangling over the edge of the ledge. "Guess I might as well start with introductions, just so you kiddies know who you're dealing with. 'Cause I'm not just any old dude. Nothing 'any old' about me. Name's Xigbar, Organization XIII's number II. Know what that means?"

Sora grimaced inwardly. 'That he's got a high rank in the Organization. That he's probably too strong for us to take on apart. …That... he knows where Riku is.' "Xigbar, where's Riku? Where are you keeping him? You know, don't you?"

"Of course I know," Xigbar drawled, "but you think I'll tell you? As if. Besides, why would you want to save him?"

"What kind of question is that? He's my friend!"

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll tell you something, kid. Give up. First of all, I'm making sure you don't leave this world alive, and second…you've already failed."

Sora felt his heart skip a beat and his throat went dry. "I… failed? What does that mean?"

"What I mean to say is…" Xigbar waved vaguely with one of his arrow guns. "…that there's not really a point anymore. It's not worth saving what's left of him."

"'What's left of him'? What does that mean?" Kairi shouted.

Xigbar leaned forward, making a swirling motion near his head. "I mean that there's not much of anything left up here to save. The kid's as close to brain dead as you can be. We've spent the last year trying to beat your location out of him, Sora, and it seems to have had some lasting damage on his head. We're keeping him in a jail cell, but he's so much of a vegetable that we might as well not."

"_Shut up_!" Sora snapped, "That's a lie! You're lying!"

"Doesn't make a difference to me whether you believe it or not," he shrugged, "Doesn't change the fact that you failed."

"I said, _shut up_!"

Kairi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Sora. He's goading you into making a mistake. Don't listen to him."

A loud click made Sora snap back to reality. Beside him, Yuna pointed her pistols at Xigbar. "You've got a big problem with your personality, you know? I'm all for helping people, so I think I'll help you fix that."

"Looks like I've incurred the wrath of the High Summoner," Xigbar mumbled, "So it's five against one? Sounds about fair to me."

Cocking his arrow guns in front of him, Xigbar's hands disappeared as the air around them rippled, cutting his arms off halfway to his elbows. Yuna spun around and fired her pistols, cutting off the laser fire immediately. The air rippled again and shots came from all directions. Kairi summoned her Keyblade and blocked the ones that came her way while Sora openly slashed at them, working off his aggravation. Yuna countered all of hers, Paine swung her sword like a pinwheel to cut them off, and Rikku ended up jumping frantically away, letting them deaden into the ground.

Xigbar laughed, firing more shots. "Isn't this fun?"

Sora slashed at the shots, jumping out of the way of the ones he couldn't avoid. He kept an eye on Kairi as well, watching her back from a distance. 'We can't keep this up for too long. It's too tiring. At this rate, we won't even be able to block in a few minutes. We have to find some way to stop him.'

He felt something behind him and found Kairi back to back with him. "Look."

"At what?" he asked, slashing at another couple of shots that came their way.

She didn't answer, only inclining her head towards Xigbar once before putting some distance between them. He was going to ask her what she meant, but she suddenly sprinted towards the Nobody, taking a flying leap at him and swinging down with her Keyblade. Xigbar gave her a smirk and vanished, the air rippling around him. Sora finally noticed what she had been getting at.

'They stopped! He stopped shooting to teleport out of the way. He can't teleport the rest of his body if his body isn't all in one place. Meaning… we have to keep attacking him to get him to stop shooting. If we remain on the attack, his only option will be to keep his distance or stop attacking altogether.'

He gave a quick nod to the Gullwings and ran to follow Kairi's lead. Xigbar teleported himself around when they got close, shooting at them when he got the chance, but Yuna shot down all his attempts with her own, Rikku and Paine defending her when she needed to reload. After a couple of failed attempts, Sora managed to land a weak hit that made Xigbar stagger, but he teleported out of the way before the second hit could connect.

'It's no good. We have to attack him quickly, faster than he can recover, or we won't get anywhere. We may only get one shot at this, so we have to make it count.'

Hanging back, Sora shifted into Wisdom Form, letting the magical energy surge through him. He skated around the open area, watching Xigbar's movements as Kairi tried to hit him. Yuna raised an eyebrow at Sora and he skated over.

"We have to attack him without an opportunity to escape, meaning we have to land hits within milliseconds of each other. Think we can do it?"

Paine adjusted her grip on her sword. "Time to bring on the hurt."

Kairi slashed at Xigbar, catching his sleeve, and he teleported out of the way. Sora and Yuna started their assault, firing magic and bullets in the Nobody's direction in a timed pattern. Xigbar stumbled back, stunned under the barrage as Paine raced in to attack. Kairi followed her, landing a quick series of slashes with her Keyblade before he tossed it behind her, finishing off her part of the assault with her fists. Sora smiled as he shifted out of Wisdom Form and into Valor Form, catching Kairi's Keyblade and mentally thanking her for realizing his plan. Rikku attacked as Kairi pulled back, landing slashes in between Yuna's shots. Yuna stopped to reload and Sora dove in between Rikku and Xigbar as she moved to pull away. Xigbar had been backed up to the wall of the Gizmo Shop behind him and Sora used the two Keyblades in a series of speedy, powerful attacks.

Finally, he swung the Keyblades by his side and brought them down in two descending arcs, landing two deadly blows, one after the other. He reverted from Valor Form, trying to catch his breath, and the second Keyblade returned to Kairi. Xigbar collapsed against the wall, darkness wafting off his body like steam.

Rikku jumped and pumped her fist up into the air. "Super Combo Attack successful!"

"Behave," Paine grumbled, smacking the energetic girl upside the head.

"Not bad…" Sora felt a smirk rise to his face, which quickly faded as Xigbar continued. "…is what I expect you wanted me to say. As if. You don't deserve any kind of praise. I'm kinda disappointed in you two, for Keyblade wielders. The others put up a much better fight, and that did it singlehandedly."

"Others?" Kairi asked, but Xigbar's appearance started shifting, his ponytail cropped off and the grey streaks vanishing altogether. His single yellow eye, the eye patch, and the scars remained.

Sora stepped over to him quickly, wincing at the strands of darkness that radiated from the fading Nobody's form. "Tell me! Where's Riku?"

Xigbar chuckled. "You're too far from it. Nowhere near their level. I might have told you if you'd made it up there, but anything short of blasting my other eye out isn't good enough. Too bad for you," he drawled. The darkness flared up and consumed him, leaving only his fading laughter behind.

They all stood in silence, no one knowing what do to or what to say. The lamps nearby flickered quietly, making their shadows appear and disappear at random, their black outlines on the ground reminding Sora of demented Heartless. The silence was broken by a loud smack and everyone turned to see that Rikku had stomped her foot. She stomped her feet again, swinging her arms in a mini temper tantrum.

"Oh poopie!" she scowled, giving her foot one more stamp for emphasis. "And we were so close! Now we don't have a single lead!"

Yuna patted her cousin's shoulder. "I know how frustrating it feels, Rikku, but we can't give up. I'm sure we can figure out something if we keep trying."

"She's right, though; we're out of leads. There's a slim chance that we'll find him, and an even slimmer chance that he'll be able to help us find who we're looking for," Paine pointed out, strapping her sword back to her belt before folding her arms across her chest.

"Then… we're out of chances?" Yuna seemed to deflate, her shoulders sagging drastically. Rikku fidgeted beside her, looking like she wanted to cheer her up but not sure what she could do.

Kairi cleared her throat loudly, drawing everyone's attention to her. "Sorry to interrupt the moment here, but I'm pretty sure Sora and I can help. There's only one problem."

Paine raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"You haven't told us who you're looking for. I mean, you haven't told us his name or what he looks like."

The Gullwings stared at her blankly before looking at each other. "We didn't, did we?" Yuna mumbled in a shocked voice. "We never told him either."

"Oh," Rikku grumbled, stamping her foot, "This is even better! We've been looking for a guy who doesn't even know who we're looking for! How could we be so stupid?"

Paine clapped her hand against her forehead. "What a waste…"

"We can still help," Kairi insisted, "We've been around a number of worlds and met a lot of different people. If we haven't met him, we can probably direct you to someone who can help."

Sora nodded his agreement. 'Though I think by 'we', she's talking about me,' he added mentally.

Yuna offered them a weak smile. "Thank you so much. His name is… Tidus."

"She can't mean…?" Sora mumbled to Kairi, exchanging confused looks.

"Would you mind describing him?" Kairi asked.

"Um… he has brown hair dyed blond, though it's grown out near the roots. Blue eyes…" Yuna looked up, wracking her brain for more details.

"And he has awkwardly cut pants!" Rikku added, leaning over to measure them out on herself, one pant leg shorter than the other.

Kairi chuckled. "Sounds like him to me."

Yuna's expression brightened. "You know him?"

"Know him? We live with him. He's one of our friends from our home world. Destiny Islands. He probably went back when the world was restored."

Without any warning, Yuna bounced forward and individually gave Sora and Kairi hugs. "Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I'm indebted to you." She turned back to the Gullwings and, with a quick nod, dashed off for the First District. The other two followed after her, Paine rolling her eyes despite the small smile on her face.

Rikku stopped mid-step and spun on her heel, waving back. "Good luck, you guys! Oh, and when you see your friend, tell him that next time we see him, we'll kick his toast!" She scowled at something before turning to catch up to her cousin.

Sora stared after her. "What?"

"I think she meant 'we'll kick his butt' and 'he'll be toast'," Kairi giggled, clasping her hands behind her back. "So, ready to head out?"

"Can we go back to Radiant Garden for now?" he asked, letting out a deep breath that had constricted in his chest, "I… I feel like we need a break."

Her eyebrows creased but she didn't voice any protest. "Alright Sora. Taking some time to regroup is a good idea. After all this, I think we deserve the break."

* * *

Axel slumped back in his chair in Where Nothing Gathers, watching the seat at the head of the room. Five other seats scattered across the room were empty, but no one was expected to come and fill them. He'd checked Proof of Existence before the meeting and found five red graves as opposed to the four from the previous day. The two seats next to the Superior's, one on either side, were empty, as well as the one between Saïx and Marluxia, and the two between himself and Roxas. Seeing the two empty spaces between him and his friend was unnerving, but Axel put it out of his mind. The other members were waiting patiently in their seats, all watching the chair at the head of the room, waiting for their leader to arrive.

Darkness rippled on the chair and the leader of Organization took his seat, holding the armrests as he leaned back. 'He looks less ominous today,' Axel noted, fighting back a smile, 'Maybe it's because both seats on either side of him are empty.'

Saïx took charge of the reports. "II is no more. The Keyblade Master and the Princess have returned to Radiant Garden. The Gullwings are currently in transit, and we have yet to determine their destination."

"And the status of the experiment, IV?" the Superior asked without skipping a beat. Zexion stopped drumming his fingers on his armrest and Axel wasn't the only one who took notice, feeling the Superior's gaze pass once over VI from under his hood. Lexaeus noticed as well, but Lexaeus always seemed to be watching Zexion, and Axel's guess at the larger man's intentions was as good as anyone else's.

Vexen brushed a strand of hair over his shoulder. "Proceeding faster than expected. At this rate, there's no need for further outside input."

'I wouldn't be too sure about that,' Axel mused, 'The experiment seems to have a mind of its own.'

Marluxia seemed to be of the same opinion, rolling his eyes as he leaned back in his seat.

Beside him, Roxas had his elbow propped up on his armrest, his cheek squished against the palm of his hand, the epitome of boredom. "Why don't we just cut to the chase? Who's being sent to the slaughter next?"

'If anyone other than Roxas had asked that question, they'd be toast before I could say 'ouch'. He's lucky the boss babies him so much or no one but me would tolerate his attitude. It's probably because of _him_… but what does the Superior have to do with that?'

The Superior's next comment wasn't an answer, but it was as close to one as they would get and it served the same purpose. "IV, V, I have a mission for you. There's something I want you to take care of…"


	22. Candid Camera Shy

_I didn't realize until after I wrote it but, in this chapter, Zexion and Axel's conversation has the same feel as a conversation between Golbez and Jecht in Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Their color schemes even match up._

_Also, finished Re:coded. Lots of fun, but Olympus Colliseum made me laugh so much and I blame it all on Cloud. Half the time, Sora ignores him. The other half is Cloud making references to his own game. "There ain't no gettin' off this train we're on" anyone? Imagining him say that in a Barret accent made me fall over in a fit of laughter. I loved the sarcastic feel all the dialouge had to it. I was very pleased with Roxas as well._

_Also, happy New Year! (Yes, I know I'm late. VERY late)_

* * *

**Chapter 22 - Candid Camera Shy**

* * *

Upon their return to Radiant Garden, Sora and Kairi were eager to fill everyone in on what they had learned, but it was nighttime, so no one had been around to greet them. They both shuffled off to bed, eager to rest. By the time the morning came, however, Sora hadn't slept at all, tossing and turning all night as he grappled with the dread building deep in his chest. He lay on his bed for what felt like eternity, battling his misery, ignoring the people who came knocking on the door. Time passed by without measure, but he didn't leave the room for anything. When his door finally opened, his stomach was growling loud enough to wake the dead and his nerves were shot.

"Sora." Kairi's voice came from the doorway, but he didn't look up. "What are you doing? You have to get up. This is getting way out of hand."

"I don't want to," he muttered, his own voice hollow in his ears.

He heard her foot stamp. "I'm not taking that. You've been in here too long. Everyone is worried about you."

"Sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it. Do you have any idea how long you've been in here? _Three days_. You haven't come out of here in three days. Sora, this isn't healthy." He heard her footsteps enter the room, walking around and looking over the mess he had made.

'Three days, huh? Doesn't feel like it…' "You many not want to touch those bottles in the corner. That isn't lemonade."

Kairi's footsteps abruptly stopped. "That's… disgusting. Now you _have_ to get out. Aerith, Rinoa and I are going to have to sterilize this room."

"It's alright…"

Kairi's footsteps got closer and the bed sagged as she sat down. Sora rolled over to avoid having to look at her, knowing she would be worried if she found he hadn't been sleeping well. She let out a sigh and he felt her fingers running gently through his hair, combing out his bed head. Though every movement made him jumpy, Kairi was careful not to disrupt him. Her touch was soothing, relaxing, loosening the knot in his nerves, but it did nothing for the splintered feeling in his heart.

"You've been thinking about what Xigbar said, haven't you?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah."

She groaned. "Sora, have you ever thought that maybe he was trying to psych you out? He was probably lying, knowing that you'd end up like this."

"Then it worked," Sora grumbled back, pulling his knees up to his chest, "Whether it's true or not…"

"Sora…"

"No, don't 'Sora' me. It's… I understand that he probably was lying, but it doesn't change the fact that it hurts. This feels like that time at Hollow Bastion… no, maybe even worse. Riku's been looking after me, putting himself in danger, and I haven't even been able to thank him. I've failed him after everything he's done for me; that's what bothers me. I'm supposed to protect the worlds because I have a Keyblade… and I can't repay my best friend for protecting me."

"It may be your role to protect the worlds, but no one is saying you have to be perfect. Just… have a little more faith in Riku… and faith in yourself. It isn't over yet."

A knock on the door cut off his reply and he lifted his head from the pillow. Kairi pulled her hand away, folding them in her lap. Rinoa was standing at the door, one hand resting on the doorframe. "Sorry to interrupt your moment," she said softly, "but Leon has something he needs to show you…"

Sora felt his eyebrows crease. "What is it?"

"I have no idea. He and Cid won't tell anyone anything until you're there, but whatever it is seems urgent. I haven't seen Cid this excited in a while."

"We'll be down in a minute," Kairi told her, "Besides, Sora's room needs such a cleaning that hospitals would either be envious or pity us." Without waiting, she grabbed Sora by the wrist and dragged him out of bed, not paying attention to that fact that he was stumbling behind her. Rinoa chuckled.

Halfway down the hall, Sora freed himself and continued at his own pace, stretching his sore limbs. "You didn't have to pull, Kairi."

She stopped and turned on him, hands on her hips in anger. "Oh yes I did. Do you realize how worried I've been? For three days, you've been in that room, not coming out for anything. You never responded when I came to check on you. I was starting to think you had died! I'm just glad you've got a reason to get out of bed."

"Sorry," he muttered, staring at his feet to avoid meeting her eyes. "Really, I am. I won't makes excuses or try to deny it. I just… felt so weak and useless."

"Never think that," Kairi smiled, pulling him into a comforting hug, "No matter what, you'll always be important to me."

"Thanks, Kairi." He wanted to continue hugging her, but he knew Leon and Cid were waiting for them downstairs. "Ready to go?"

"Of course."

The stairs creaked on the way down, so Leon and Cid were waiting for them on the main floor. As they reached the bottom step, however, Yuffie burst in the front door and ran over to them. "Sora, you'll never believe what I found out! Captain Basch has the most muscular abs I've ever seen."

Sora met her revelation with a blank stare. 'Uh… what? What is she getting at? Do I even want to know? …No. No, I don't.'

Leon rolled his eyes. "Yuffie, stop telling everyone about that. You've tortured Basch enough by telling us, as if walking in on him changing wasn't already torture. Now, either you keep quiet or you leave. Your choice." Yuffie glared at him, but she shut her mouth and listened.

"So what did you want to show us?" Sora asked, putting Yuffie's outburst in the back of his mind. "Rinoa said you wouldn't tell anyone."

"We wanted to do some more conclusive research, but I think we have enough to show you. It's something Cid picked up on an underground signal."

"Underground signal? Signal for what?"

"It's from a surveillance device in the basement of the castle."

"Huh?"

Cid leaned back in his chair. "It's a video camera."

"There are cameras in the castle's basement? What are they doing there?" Kairi wondered, folding his arms.

"Good question. There appears to be some sort of lab down there, complete with a computer terminal. It seems to be on a terrace above some sort of machinery, but the angle of the camera isn't giving us too much on what's down there," Leon explained.

Sora mulled it over for a minute. "So? There's a lab. Why did you want to tell us?"

"It's not the lab we wanted to show ya, kid," Cid interrupted. He pressed a key on the keyboard in front of him and the screen lit up with some camera footage. The room it displayed was as Leon had described: a computer room in a terrace over a large grey area, machinery running faintly in the background. The computer terminal seemed to be operational, running in a stand-by mode, but there was a coating of dust so thick that Sora's nose twitched just looking at it. It took a moment before anything in the footage change, and Sora's jaw nearly dropped when he saw it.

Someone in an Organization coat walked into view, their figure tall and imposing. They stood in view of the camera for a moment as the identification system on the screen registered the intruder, then lifted one of their arms from their side. There was a bright flash of light and the footage dissolved into static. Cid tapped the keyboard again and the footage stopped.

"Organization XIII? What were they doing here?" Sora asked.

Leon sighed. "That's what we'd like to know. The footage doesn't pick up for a few hours, and even then there's no indication of anyone having gone through there. All we know is that the timestamp on the video dates this back to last week."

Sora felt the air sliding down his throat catch and he coughed, trying to clear it. "L-last week! You mean, they're still coming here?"

"It's not actually that strange," Kairi pointed out, "Remember, Vincent said that the Organization had a base here. He also said the Organization's leader had a personal interest in something here. It's not unreasonable to think that they might still be using it."

"But wouldn't that be weird, strategically speaking? I mean, this room is in the castle, right? And the castle is undergoing restorations. So… why keep coming to a base that's right under your enemies' noses?"

"We haven't actually haven't done any renovations on the castle's basement," Leon butted in, "Call it poor planning, but we decided to focus on supporting the outside and the upper floors before we worked on the basement. From what we saw of the basement areas you opened up, Sora, we figured it could wait, but we haven't finished exploring the basement. We don't even know how to get in to that area."

"But the camera had been giving off signals for years and you haven't picked them up before?" Kairi asked, "That sounds suspicious. I can practically smell the Organization's involvement in this one."

"Which is exactly why we thought you'd want to know. If anyone is fit to deal with one of the Organization's schemes, it's you guys."

Sora nodded. "Meaning that it's investigation time. We have to find a way into that part of the castle basement. You up for a little legwork, Kairi?"

Kairi smiled slyly in return. "You don't even have to ask. Count me in."

"Hold on just a minute there," a light, aged voice cut into the conversation a second before a magical sparkle appeared in the room and Merlin materialized into view. "I have something to give you before you head out, Sora."

"Keep to your side of the room, ya old loon!" Cid shouted from his seat, turning his attention back to the computer. Merlin looked like he wanted to turn Cid into something, but Leon stepped between the two, hold up his hands to try to wave the wizard off.

Sora walked over to Merlin's side of the room. "Good to see you Merlin."

"And you, Sora. Been practicing your magic?"

"Plenty. It's helped us out of a few close calls with the Organization. Anyway, what did you want to give me?"

"Ah, yes. That. Well, before I give it to you, I should explain what I've been working on while you've been out. Before you arrived a few weeks ago, I was busy studying those orbs… the ones that gave you your 'Drive Forms', as you call them. They have astounding magical properties; really, very potent magic at that. I spent my time analyzing and working with those magical properties, and I came up with this." He flicked his wand and a bright cluster of magical particles hit the table. They dissipated, leaving behind a pillow, a large yellow orb resting in its middle.

"Another Drive Form?" Sora asked, inspecting it closely.

Merlin walked up behind him. "Precisely. I created it from an analysis of the capabilities of the other two. It should be exceptionally more powerful than the others are, so try it out when you have the opportunity."

Sora touched the orb lightly and it melded into his hand, sending a tingling electric sensation through his body. A silvery pattern of stylized Xs appeared on his clothes. Concentrating, he reached inside himself, searching for the electric feeling until he found it and called it up. His clothes lit up and transformed, the Xs silvery outline returning while the rest of his clothes dyed yellow. His Keyblade appeared in his hand and the tingling sensation flared up in the other. Scowling, Sora tried to summon something, but each time he did, he was met with resistance. The feeling was of something pulling back, playing a magical tug-o-war with the secondary weapon.

"Need this?" Kairi placed her Keyblade in his free hand.

He nodded his thanks, adjusting his hold on the two weapons. He gave them an experimental twirl in his hands. "I can see what you mean, Merlin. I've got access to the dual wielding and improved strength from Valor Form, but I still have magic, and the easy access is like in Wisdom Form." He reverted to normal and Kairi's Keyblade returned to her. "Um… Master Form? I don't think I'll get a form stronger than that. Thanks."

Merlin smiled. "Make sure you take care when you use it, though. It may be a deal more powerful than you can handle."

"I will." He turned back to Kairi, feeling energetic and impatient. "Ready to go?"

She laughed. "Whether I am or not, I don't think you can wait. Let's get going."

* * *

Axel was searching for someone, and the Library in The World That Never Was was that person's preferred haunt, so he made it his first stop. Luckily, he found who he was looking for right away, nose buried in a book. "We need to talk, Zexy."

Zexion snapped his book shut in irritation, but none of it was visible on his stoic face. "Pray tell, Axel, what you would need to talk to me, of all people, about. And I told you to stop calling me that."

"I need to talk to you about… the boss."

"Why do you think I know more about him than you do?"

Axel leaned against the side of the chair. "You're a founding member. You knew him before you became Nobodies. If anyone knows about him, it would be you. Besides, you're the only one left to ask and you're the easiest to pry information out of."

"This is about Roxas, isn't it? About the Superior's strange behavior around him?" Zexion went back to his book. "My guess is as good as yours."

"I've got nothing. That's why I'm asking you."

Zexion sighed and looked up at Axel. "That's not true. You have something, and that something is as far as I've gotten."

"But it's nothing! I'm not even sure if…" He trailed off. "How much do you know about what I think it is?"

"It's _him_ you're thinking of. The one Roxas looks like. You've meet him, so now you're wondering 'Is he Roxas?' or 'Is Roxas his Nobody?'. As far as I can tell, I'm not sure. All we know is that Roxas is part of Sora. I can tell that your interest isn't rooted in that, however. Tell me, Axel, what is it about Roxas and Saïx that makes them different? Both of them have changed since their entrance into the Organization. So why have you stuck to Roxas like glue, yet dropped Saïx like an ungrateful porcupine?"

Axel felt his hands tighten into fists, the slow circulation of blood in his fingers cutting off. "What are you getting at?"

"That maybe you and our dear Superior aren't that different. He has personal interest in Roxas because of _him_, but I have no clue about the particulars of their relationship. That man is a mystery to everyone, particularly himself. You won't find out anything about him, Axel, no matter where you look. I think those secrets will die with him."


	23. Uncooperative Cooperation

**Chapter 23 - Uncooperative Cooperation**

* * *

Sora stared at the chain link fence in front of him, arms folded across his chest. Though it was twice his height and stretched as far around the castle as he could see, it looked incredibly unstable, as though a gust of wind would knock it down at any second. "Why do you need a fence here again?"

"To keep people away from the construction equipment," Leon answered, dealing with the lock on the gates. The lock was giving him some trouble and he insisted on taking care of it himself, stating that he'd 'need to unlock it on his own sometime'. Kairi stood on Sora's other side, watching Leon work while trying to restrain her desire to help. "Since we're not the only ones living on this world anymore, we don't want people injuring themselves on the equipment or damaging it."

"But doesn't this fence look easy to climb? Or knock over?"

Leon looked up from his work for a split second. "It _looks_ like it. I'll agree with you there. Merlin cast some sort of spell on it, so I have no idea what would happen if anyone tried to climb it." Finally, the lock clicked open and Leon pushed the gate open. "Are you sure about this?"

"Locking the gate behind us? Yeah, I'm sure," Sora grinned. "Besides, we've got Keyblades. A locked gate doesn't stand a chance."

"Suit yourselves," Leon muttered in reply, but he sounded slightly miffed.

'He probably thinks we're showing off, considering how long it took him to get that lock open.'

Alone on the other side of the gate, Sora and Kairi looked around, following the dirty pathway along the outer walls of the castle. The construction equipment was lined up against the walls, everything from bulldozers to dump trucks filled with materials. Large piles of bricks were stacked uniformly on wooden platforms, the machine to move them parked nearby. Sora could almost picture the Restoration Committee hard at work, shouting instructions over the din. The ever-curving path was hemmed in on the other side by blue walls of ice, towering higher than the dump trucks, dwarfing half of the equipment present.

"It's so different. I remember all of the ice and the details of the castle, but I've never been this close to this part of it," Sora muttered, looking around.

"Shows you how much can change with perspectives," Kairi mused, "Still, I'm curious as to what the Organization finds so interesting here."

Sora mulled it over for a moment. "That room reminded me of something."

"Like what?"

"Well, when Donald, Goofy and I were at The End of The World, there was this place full of these… light portals, I guess you could call them. They were all kinds of places we had been to before, like Traverse Town, Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah, and Captain Hook's Pirate Ship. The last one we went into was a room that looked kind of like the one we're looking for. There were all kinds of strange machinery and computer systems in it, and five glass capsules that were about people sized. Don't know what it all meant, but that's what we saw."

"And you think it might be connected?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe? I'm just saying that they looked kind of the same."

Kairi nodded her understanding and descended into silence, a look of intense thought on her face. Deciding against interrupting her, Sora focused ahead of them, concentrating on their path. They had finally passed all of the construction equipment and the path had opened up more, but it came to a stop not too far ahead, spreading into a circular platform that just ended.

"That's it?" Sora asked in disbelief. "It doesn't go anywhere!"

"I beg to differ," Kairi spoke up. She was standing by one side of the platform where one part of the railing was gone. Walking up beside her to take a closer look, he found that the edge of the platform jutted out and had broken off into jagged piece that lay on the ice below. A series of uniform pieces of rock were embedded in the ice at equal intervals, more stone piece scattered around them.

"Strange…"

"Not too strange. It looks like the remains of a bridge."

He looked back at her. "How do you figure?"

"Those pieces there, embedded in the ice, were probably the supports. See how they run parallel to the wall? There's probably an opening in the wall that we can't see from this angle. The supports probably weren't put in properly and the ground turned to mud in all of the water. The water froze up, expanded, and - with nowhere else to go - pushed away from the castle walls. The mud hadn't frozen by that time and the supports got pushed away from their position. In short, the ice pushed the supports out from under the bridge and the whole thing collapsed."

"Someone hired the wrong contractors…"

Kairi sighed. "Well, it answers how it happened, but it doesn't change the fact that the bridge is out. How do we get across?"

"We improvise." Without any second thoughts, Sora jumped over the edge, adjusting his angle of descent to narrowly avoid breaking his ankles on a piece of the broken bridge. The ice seemed to have other ideas; he slipped slightly, pin wheeling his arms to keep his balance. He tilted forwards, then back, and then forward again before finally managing to stay upright.

He barely had a split second notification as he turned around before he had to fling his arms out and catch Kairi. Her foot collided with his arm and her shoulder collided with his head. The resulting awkward impact threw Sora off balance and sent them both toppling to the ground. His head hit the ice hard, making him see stars, and he felt his face flare up as his vision cleared.

Kairi was lying on top of him, her face only an inch or two from his.

"I should have warned you I was coming down," she shrugged, "I thought you had already moved."

Sora opened his mouth to reply, not sure whether his priority was to ask her to get up or to assure her that the drop wasn't her fault, but he failed to find the words, dissolving into sheepish laughter.

"Thanks for catching me." Kairi gave him a quick peck on the lips before picking herself up. Her hand pushed into his stomach for a moment, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Once she was up, he used some of the wrecked bridge to maneuver back to his feet.

The wall of the castle was built from a light brown brick, the layers varying in size to give the design an artistic feel. Even though he was sure the elements would have chipped away at the stone pieces, the bricks were smooth to the touch, no evidence of fault or decay in the workmanship. 'Whoever built the castle did a better job than whoever built that bridge. It was probably put in later.'

"We might have hit a dead end."

He looked away from the wall. "How so?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kairi beckoned him over. "The bridge supports stop here," she pointed out. "There's too great a distance for it to have been connected to that wall," she gestured to the farther of the two walls, which through Sora's rough estimate was a good thirty or forty meters away, "so it must have been connected to the other wall."

"There's nothing there," Sora observed. The wall in that area was as smooth and flat as the rest of the wall, the plain bricks showing no sign of an opening ever having been there.

"Exactly the problem." Kairi folded her arms across her chest. "Guess we hit a dead end. Nothing left to do but go back."

"But we looked back there. This is the closest we've gotten to having a lead!"

"I don't see how we can pull the answer from a solid wall, Sora. There's nothing else here."

Set and determined, Sora turned his attention back to the wall, scanning the surface in more detail. He could hear Kairi moving around behind him, her squeaks of shock every time she started to slip, but he didn't let it disrupt his focus. Finally, he found what he was looking for, his heart soaring in his chest. "There! See it?"

"See what?"

"There! Right above that perfectly square brick. See it?"

Kairi narrowed her eyes and looked closer. "Is that…?"

"Yup," Sora smiled, "A _keyhole_."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," she chuckled. "If anyone is going to find a keyhole, the first person I'd expect to do it is a Keyblade master."

Sora called his Keyblade to his hand. "And if anyone is going to be unlocking it, I know I'll be the first one to try it." Planting himself as firmly on the ice as he could, he held onto his Keyblade with both hands and pointed it at the small keyhole in the wall. A warm sensation washed over him like a light breeze, tangling itself through his hair for a brief instant before a beam of light shot from the end of his weapon. With a loud click, the lock opened and the door swung open into the wall of the castle. "Yes!"

"No. We've got another problem."

"What now?" he groaned, tired of all the problems creeping up.

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "How are we getting up?"

"Oh." 'She has a point there.' The base of the newly-revealed doorway stood at least five feet above their heads, tauntingly out of their reach. Sora looked around, trying to work out a solution. "Why don't we use the pieces of the broken bridge? If we can pile them just right, we should be able to hoist ourselves up the rest of the way."

Though she seemed resigned to the idea, Kairi assisted in moving the stone and concrete chunks into a pile. The process felt like it took an eternity, any progress they made hindered by the ice beneath them. After they moved enough pieces into place, Sora scrambled to the top, moving carefully so as not to disturb the flimsy makeshift stepladder. The bottom of the doorframe was just within reach and, with some effort and a lot of leg swinging, he managed to pull himself and into the hallway beyond. He spent a moment shaking the strain out of his arms before he returned to help Kairi. Eventually they were both through the doorway, standing at the threshold.

"Ready to check this place out?" he asked, giving her a bright smile.

Kairi shook her head. "When will you learn to stop asking? I've spent long enough waiting for you, Sora. Now, I go where you go; no exceptions."

"I'm sorry I asked. Alright, let's go."

The hallways were bleak and bare, some in the same brick as the castle's outer walls, others the drab grey of concrete, and others still were half finished, a couple rows of white tiles at the top or bottom edges and nothing more. There were a number of branches, but a large number of them were caved in with collapsed ceilings and dried out water pipes. One of the paths they took ended up leading them back to where they started, making Sora lose his bearings for a few minutes. They finally found the right path, a completely tiled hallway that led to a door. The cream-colored slab of wood was slightly ajar, so they took caution as they approached it.

The room beyond was silent. Sora entered it battle-ready, Keyblade in hand, but it was empty. It looked like an office of some kind, an ornate wooden desk placed on one end of the room. Chalkboards were hung up on the walls, covered in fading notes and diagrams, but the owner of the office seemed dissatisfied with them, their writings extending onto the walls. Some shattered glass containers sat on empty bookshelves and papers littered the floor. On the other side of the room, a section of the wall opened up into a walkway with a glass floor.

Sora opened his mouth to comment on it, but Kairi clamped her hand to his face, holding a finger to her lips. She pointed in the direction of the walkway, tilted her head to one side and cupped her hand to her ear, telling him to listen. Sure enough, he picked up two voices in discussion coming from the other end of the walkway.

The owner of the first voice was irritated. "It took longer than it should have because _I'm_ not the one who rewrote the codes! It took me this long just to decipher the key!"

"We must get this job done soon," the second voice said in reply, a deep voice that spoke volumes about its owner. It was a voice that belonged to someone you wouldn't want to pick a meaningless fight with.

"Well, I'll get this done much faster without you staring over my shoulder. I'll come find you when I'm finished."

The second person grunted and, with the sound of swirling darkness, vanished into silence. Sora decided that he must have left.

Feeling that the time was right, he looked over at Kairi, waiting to meet her eyes. He indicated the two of them and then tilted his head down the hallway. She nodded once, her expression serious, and they made their way quietly along the walkway. Sora stuck close to the wall, careful not to make any sounds. The walkway was suspended over a giant room that seemed to extend away from the wall and into infinity. Each wall was covered in what looked like oddly shaped giant light bulbs, but Sora didn't linger on them for too long.

Stepping silently over towards the only door on the walkway, he rounded the corner and charged in… only to slip and land flat on his back. The Organization member in the room, a thin man with long sleeves and even longer straw-colored hair, looked up from the computer terminal with only mild surprise. Sora sat up and saw that he had slipped on a patch of ice placed squarely in the middle of the doorway, completely out of place. Kairi pulled up to a halt behind him.

"Ah, the Keyblade master," the Nobody muttered, one hand still hovering over the keyboard, "You'll have to pardon me. I was expecting you much… sooner."

Struggling back to his feet, Sora slipped again. "We had enough problems getting in here as it was," he grumbled.

"Understandable. Research such as this was not meant to be handled by such fools."

"You're one to talk about fools," Kairi retorted, "You're still hanging around."

A mocking smile came to his face. "Of course. I've forgotten the fact that I should be afraid of you. Pardon me for not having the heart to do so. Now, as you expected, I'll be off." With a flourish of his hand, he tapped 'Enter' on the keyboard. Suddenly, a bright beam of light shot from a large sensor on the wall and hit the Organization member. Then, before their eyes, it broke him down into sections that the beam made vanish into nothing.

Sora stared for a moment. "What just happened?"

"He must have activated something on the computer," Kairi guessed, hopping clear over both Sora and the ice patch to the computer. "I'll see if I can figure it out."

Managing to pull himself to his feet, he joined her at the terminal. Kairi typed quickly and carefully, trying to work it out, but from her expression, the computer was giving her trouble. Finally, she pulled up a screen and started reading it.

"From what I can see, that thing behind us is a digitizing laser. It can take real objects, convert their matter into data while storing the matter, and then reprocess the matter back into its original form."

Sora blinked confusion. "Can you repeat that in a language I understand?"

"It makes things into computer data."

"Cool!"

"If that's the cool part, then this is the bad news. He also activated the machinery down there," she pointed over the terminal into the giant light bulb room, "which happens to go by the name of 'Heartless Manufactory'. You can probably figure out what that does."

"And I don't like the sound of it. Anything we can do to shut it down?"

Kairi shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."

As soon as she tapped one key, however, the screen turned red, declaring 'ACCESS DENIED' in large white letters. Kairi scowled and tried again, but the screen didn't change.

"I've had enough of you meddling Users," a computerized voice declared out of nowhere, making both of them jump. "Errors must be dealt with."

"What do you think that…?" Sora began, but before he could finish his question, the sensor lit up again and two beams of light shot out of it. One hit Kairi, breaking her down, and the other hit Sora. He could almost feel himself being pulled apart particle by particle. The sensation only lasted a second before everything went black.


	24. ENCOM

**Chapter 24 - Enter New Corporation Opportunity Metaphor**

* * *

Sora stepped out of the shade and onto the sand, feeling the trapped heat seep through his shoes and tickle the bottom of his feet. The light of the sunset stained everything around him orange, creating new colors as it layered over the browns and greens of the island. The familiar, comforting scent of salt caught on the wind and wafted through his hair, stinging his skin in a soft, welcoming way. In the distance, he could hear seagulls making their final rounds for the day, sailing low across the sky to pick out their meals.

All the sounds and scents of home.

'Wasn't I just with Kairi? What happened to her?'

Curious as to what was going on, he wanted to go look for her, but something inside him was telling him to trust it, asking him to let it lead him along. After much internal deliberation, he finally decided to allow it, letting his senses relax in the comfort of the home he missed so much. The sand crunched under his feet as he walked along the beach, the waves lapping up and soaking into his shoes, making his toes squelch into his wet socks with every step.

Glancing ahead, Sora spotted the little island, the bent paopu tree's green leaves clearly visible and dyed a greenish-grey. He spotted something next to the tree and tried shading his eyes against the light, but it made no difference. Left with no other choice, he retreated out of the surf and hopped up onto the shack, taking a shortcut to the bridge. The wood clanked as he walked across, but there was no reaction from the island.

The sun was shining in his eyes, so he wrote off the silver sheen he saw as a trick of the light at first. As he got to the end of the bridge, stepping off onto the rocky surface of the island, he realized that it wasn't the light. It was actually a messy head of silver hair. "Ri…Riku…?"

Riku looked away from the ocean, his face neutral. "Hello Sora."

Sora felt his limbs start to shake, his heart aching in his chest as it overflowed with relief. He wanted to run to his friend's side and make sure everything was alright, but something about the scene stopped him. Riku's form was fluctuating, changing slightly each time Sora tried to focus in on him. The relief died down, dropping down into disappointment.

"This is a dream. None of its real."

Riku only grunted an affirmative.

"I… I'm starting to forget what you look like, aren't I?"

"Not at all. Your mind is struggling because you know that I've changed. You remember the me from when we last met, and your mind is trying to picture me older… except that it isn't working at all."

Sora chuckled. "I guess that makes sense. I'm just happy to see you, even if it's not in person."  
"We'll see each other soon enough," Riku muttered dubiously. "Sora, do you remember when we were kids?"

"Huh? Uh… Sort of? I remember all the time the three of us spent playing on this island…"

"Not far back enough. Back when it was just the two of us, back before Kairi came to the islands. Those were simpler times."

Sora hopped up onto the bent tree trunk, looking down at his friend. "Simpler, but I think we had a lot more fun when there was the three of us. The more, the merrier, you know? At least… it's was fun for me."

"It was torment," Riku butted in flatly, scowling out at the setting sun. The sun seemed to dip farther down behind the horizon, almost running away from the apparent hostility. "Every waking moment was painful, watching you and Kairi be so happy together, seeing you get everything just by following your heart, having to lie to you all the time… I wanted it to end but there was nothing to do about it. So, I kept quiet until it just passed from my mind. I was upset with myself and jealous of the two of you, and I lived every day with that pain."

Sora felt the tree bark under his hands grow cold, the tension in the air almost as infinite and palpable as the water surrounding them. "Did you… really feel like that?"

"I'm not sure. This is a dream, so I'm not sure about anything right now, especially not about how I feel…" Riku trailed off, staring blankly into the fading sunlight again. "Hey Sora? Let's make a promise."

"A promise about what?"

"I don't know. Just…think of something, will you?"

"Let's promise to see each other again."

Riku chuckled, a warm reassuring sound that resonated with the wind rustling through the leaves of the paopu tree. "You don't make promises about things that are a given. Pick something else. Something better."

"Hm… I don't really have any ideas. You caught me at a bad time for genius ideas." He mulled it over. "Well, here's one. I promise to help you with your pain. Everything that bothers you, everything you couldn't tell me before, you can tell me. I'll even help you find a girlfriend if that's what it takes. Sound good?"

"Sounds like it." Riku tilted his head, looking at something in the distance, and Sora followed his eyes, trying to spot it.

"What about you, Riku?"

"You'll find out when we meet," Riku's voice replied, sounding distant. Sora looked to his side to find that his friend had gone. The wooden bridge clanked and Sora turned, looking over his shoulder…

* * *

Sora's eyes snapped open, startled for a moment before his mind could start processing where he was. Everything for as far as his vision would allow was blue, all kinds of varying shades coloring various parts of the scenery. Something flashed beneath his head, stunning and temporarily blinding him. Lifting himself up, he saw that the ground was coated with lines, each one glowing as brighter parts of the line moved along its length.

Pushing himself to his feet, he realized that something about his clothes felt off. They were tighter, transformed into navy body armor with glowing blue lines in a pattern along it. They were stiff and harder to move around in, but he quickly got used to the feeling. Stretching his arms and legs into the armor, he finally realized he was alone.

"Kairi?"

The reply came from behind him. "Over here!"

Kairi was standing off near one of the walls, carefully inspecting it. It towered over her so much that she seemed like an ant in comparison. Her clothes were like his, a dark navy with glowing blue lines, but they were the same as her regular clothes.

He ran over to her. "Everything okay?"

"Other than the fact that this wall is impossible to get through and that we're trapped in a giant box, I guess I'm alright. That digitizing laser gave me a bit of a headache, though."

Sora felt his mind go blank for a second. "Digitizing… laser?"

"Remember? The Organization member? The computer? The laser beam coming out of the wall? Do I have to recap the last ten minutes for you?" Kairi placed her hand on his forehead. "Are you sure the laser didn't scramble your brain or anything?"

"I'm fine. Really," he assured her, putting the strange dream out of his head. "Right now, I think our best bet would be to figure a way out of here."

"I believe you won't be leaving here without escort," a voice chimed in from the top of the wall. Looking up, Sora spotted the Organization member standing at the top of the wall, his black coat highlighted with glowing red lines. Beside him stood another man with slicked back brown hair in a long black robe, long yellow lines etched into the shoulders and traced down the sides. A few other men in black and red armor with long spear-like weapons flanked them.

Sora summoned his Keyblade. "You! I didn't think we'd catch up to you so soon."

"I doubt you'll be doing anything from where you are," he chuckled, turning to his companion. "These are the ones I told you about. They're very dangerous."

The man in the cloak stared down at them. "That don't look as dangerous as you've made them sound, Vexen. More like minor inconsistencies."

"I wasn't aware you or the MCP could tolerate inconsistencies, CLU2" Vexen drawled back, looking smug.

CLU seemed to take the insult personally. "Guards," he said to the armed men, "take them to the Pit Cell and double the guard at the entrance. You," he turned to Vexen, "are coming with me. We'll report to the MCP and see what he decides to do with them."

"And what if we don't agree?" Sora shouted, pointing his Keyblade at the two.

"Then I'll do this," CLU answered, snapping his fingers once. There was a loud crackle of electricity beside him and Kairi screamed as a current zapped her violently from the floor.

Sora dropped his Keyblade and tried to grab her, but the current radiating through her crackled and snapped at him, sending a painful jolt down his arm powerful enough to send him staggering back. Kairi's scream echoed in his ringing ear. "Enough! Stop it! Just _stop it_!"

CLU snapped his fingers again and the electric current stopped. Sora dove in quickly and caught her, her dead weight pulling him to his knees. She was conscious, breathing hard, her hands shaking as she held onto his arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking.

He held her tightly. "It's not your fault. Don't worry about it."

"Now that the consequences are clear…" CLU announced, "Guards…"

The guards surrounded them, closing in. Glaring defiantly at them, Sora helped Kairi to her feet and let the guards lead them away, leaving CLU and Vexen to their business.

* * *

The Pit Cell was the last in a short line of cells, all empty and unlocked. Sora tried to pay attention their surroundings, hoping to formulate an escape plan, but helping Kairi along took precedence. He had already been jabbed in the back by the guards' spear to know that they were electrified as well. The two guards at the door made way for them, the door dissolving from solid black into semi-visible green lines. The guards pushed them through and the door solidified again, sealing any exit.

"Now what?" Sora grumbled, looking the door over.

"It seems you're in the same predicament we are," another voice added, making Sora jump. On the other side of the room, a man and woman were seated on the floor next to a large computer terminal. The man was dressed in armor like Sora's, short brown hair brushed back off his face. The woman was wearing a bodysuit and tights, with high boots and detached sleeves. They both had what looked like glowing metal frisbees attached to their backs. The man stood up. "Sounds like CLU and the MCP are up to their schemes again."

Kairi sat up carefully. "Who are you?"

"My name is Tron. I'm a security program in this system."

The woman walked over and joined them on the floor, helping Sora rest Kairi against the wall. "My name is Quorra. Looks like you had a run-in with some trouble."

"If you call that CLU guy 'some trouble', then yes, we did. Him and his new friend."

Tron sat down with them. "Vexen, he calls himself. Appeared in the system a few microcycles ago, teamed up with the MCP. They've been appropriating and derezing all the programs in the system."

"Uh…" Sora stared blankly at them. "I didn't understand a word you said."

Kairi chuckled weakly. "My name is Kairi, and this is Sora."

"Nice to meet you," Tron nodded. "It's always good to see other programs. What are your functions?"

Both Sora and Kairi exchanged looks. Sora cleared his throat. "We're, uh… We're not programs. We're people."

"Not programs? Then…" Quorra looked expectantly at Tron. "Then, they're…"

"Users!" Tron jumped to his feet. "I knew it. Quorra, this is it! The opportunity we've been waiting for!" He sat down again. "We're hoping you could help us. We need the assistance of Users if we're going to stop the MCP."

Sora held up his hands. "Hold on a second there. Let's start from the beginning. What's a User, anyway?"

"A User is someone outside the system. We're programs because we're made up of data, created inside the datascape. You Users come from the outside, from the physical realm," Quorra explained. "In other words, you exist outside the system."

"What happened to make the system like this? And why do you think we can help?" Kairi asked, settling herself better in place.

"This system was created by a company called ENCOM," Tron began, looking down at his hands, "for a User named Ansem."

"Ansem?" Sora gasped, remembering his battles with the evil man.

"Ansem wanted a system that would adapt and be able to contain all of his research, and that of his apprentices. This system was created with the capability to do that, and many programs were created to keep the system running smoothly. I was one of the original programs, as was CLU. My job was to keep the system safe, and CLU was tasked with making sure the system ran without error. There was more than enough programs to keep the system running. Many microcycles ago, something changed. Ansem began adding in strange files and other devices that none of the original programs were compatible with. This lead to him creating the MCP - the Master Control Program - to regulate these new devices. Ansem's input disappeared after that, and the MCP began to evolve, wanting to connect to other systems and take control of them. He began appropriating the functions of other programs, making them into part of himself, and then derezing them."

"'Derezing them'?" Sora asked.

"Short for 'Deresolution'. They were deleted from the system. CLU fought the MCP alongside Quorra and myself, evading the MCP's guards, but he turned on us without warning. It wasn't until this Vexen appeared in the system that we were captured and placed in this cell. The MCP was able to appropriate most of my functions when we were captured, so I can't do much to help us escape."

"What we'd like is your cooperation," Quorra picked up. "We need to get out of here and get to the Input/Output Tower and establish a connection. Once we do that, we'll be able to send you back out there. We need someone to rewrite Tron's functions, including one that will destroy all traces of the MCP from the system. If you can do that for us, we can get to the MCP and free the system."

Kairi sat up, stretching her arms, having recovered from her shocking. "Vexen may not let us do that. In a sense, he's trying to delete us, too. It won't be easy."

"When is it ever?" Sora chuckled. "We're used to it. Anyway, I think we've overstayed our welcome. Let's break out of here."


End file.
